After much debating and constant local polling, I think the time has come to reveal the 2012 Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins........

Rob Ryan

Yep, that's right, think about it. The NFL would love promoting two games a year where Rob and Rex duke it out and Rob comes from a defensive background as well.  The main reason most dolphin fans don't like Rex is because he coaches the Jets, but could you imagine injecting blood into the rivalry?

My next point is also to lead toward coaches that are up and coming and not the usual Cowher / Chuckie talk.

I'm actually typing this on the road on my iPad so I'm unable to post any pics or stats....if you would like to, feel free to drop some stats into the comments section.

Poll

Do you think Rob Ryan has a good chance of becoming the 2012 Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins!?

33%

Yep

72 votes

66%

Nope

146 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

First off I'd like to mention that it seems like this entire season has created a black cloud that is spewing piss down on every one of us fans.  I'm a very positive person but it seems like every time the Dolphins stepped on the field I would feed off other negative fans expectations.  In that case, "you are what you think you are" and it's proven true. 

That's when I stumbled upon this article from NFL.com that made me realize why this team could suck so bad at home.....

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Before I get to the point of this article, let's take a stroll down memory lane.....

 

Off-season - Like usual, all of us Dolphin fans congregate and begin chatting up players we like and who we think are going to be great additions to the Miami Dolphins.  Everyone is happy and looking forward to a great year from the team they love!

 

Draft Day - Remember that sense of anticipation and excitement?  Here comes our first pick after trading down in the first round!!!! SPLOOSH.....Pfffttt (the sound of our hopes deflating) say hello to players that left most of us scratching our heads....(where is our 2009 2nd round pick? playing baseball....ouch....how about Pat Turner?)

 

Preseason - All of us fans are excited to see who will make the team and can't wait to see what our final 53 man team will look like.  Having one of the better O Lines during the previous season, hearing Sparano talk about the luxury of having such incredible depth on the O-line makes all of the fans excited because they expect the O-Line to be better than the previous year with statements like that.  Then the team trades Justin Smiley and cuts Jake Grove, only to end up with a horrible O-Line during the 2010 season.

 

Regular Season - The Dolphins start the season 2-0, then lose 2 in a row and then decide to Christmas Tree the rest of the season (Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win,Loss).  This is a true sign of a mediocre team.  My buddy usually bets on the Dolphins out of respect for my love for the team, but I told him to only pick the team if it's coming off a loss (so far it seems like he owes me a cut)....

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The Miami Dolphins are looking for a spark, so I thought it might be a good time to look at the definition and a few examples of good and bad outcomes.  At first, I had the same reaction as many fans stating that Henning was to blame and that benching Henne means his ultimate demise and that the "going backwards" conundrum for the Miami Dolphins continues.  First let's take a look at the definition of "SPARK".

 

Definition of Spark:

spark 1  (spärk)n.

1. A glistening particle, as of metal. 2. A trace or suggestion, as: a. A quality or feeling with latent potential; a seed or germ: the spark of genius. b. A vital, animating, or activating factor: the spark of revolution.

 

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As we all know, Randy Moss has been kicked to the curb by the Minnesota Vikings and will be looking for a new place to call home.  If the Dolphins were to give up a 3rd Round Pick in next years draft for a player and then cut him after only a couple of games, we would all be up in arms!

Quite a few of us have already discussed whether the Dolphins should put a claim in for #81 but it might be worth looking at a list of Pros and Cons as well as past experience in this situation.

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Phin Snap: Quintin Demps (Safety)

 

Quintin Demps  #39  S

2009 Stats - 14 Tackles, 0 FF, 1 INT

Age - 25

Experience - 3 years

Height - 5-11

Weight - 206 lbs.

College - Texas - El Paso

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While football is considered a "any weather" sport, sometimes you have to realize, "wouldn't it suck to lose due to factors you couldn't control?".

 

Doesn't the "Tuck Rule" infuriate you?  The fact that the Raiders have sucked ever since but that in all reality, they should have headed to the Super Bowl which ultimately could have changed the future of their organization?

 

Regardless, it looks like whoever makes it to the SB in 2014 will have to be prepared to face some elements.  I find it funny that the Giants and Jets hope to make it to the SB in 2014, but I thought the Jets were winning it this year?  Also, its their team built to win the SB in 4 years?

 

Oh well, I found these videos and thought they might provide a look INTO THE FUTURE!

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Phin Snap: A Reaction to the Jets Offseason

It seems I can't turn around without bumping into a story about the Jets.  With that, I propose a few things to take solace in as a Dolphin Fan.

 

Personally, I absolutely love the Jets off-season moves!  Not for the same reasons as Jets fans, but here's why:

1.)  They have cut / traded away valuable players that made their team a nuisance to deal with but their fans believe that they are getting better by adding the likes of LT and JT.  Their fans are willing to believe that by making some of the drastic changes they've made that there will be no disruption in their team.  How many times has a team gotten to the Championship game or Super Bowl, lost, and had a GREAT 15-1 season the next year???  How many??  Not to mention now you are getting rid of players who contributed to your success for players who didn't?

2.)  They got rid of Faneca and are placing their teams future on the backs of unproven players, not to mention they only had 4 picks to make and yet they believe they can replace Pro Bowl players with later round "fresh meat".

3.)  Their fans are grasping at the fact that because Sanchez did well in a couple games towards the end of the season, that he is going to be able to carry the franchise on his shoulders and magically turn into "The Sanchize".  Talk about grasping at straws, but I like how the Dolphins odds play out on this one.  Apparently adding Holmes and such will somehow keep Sanchez from throwing only 12 TD and 20 INT.  Not to mention Sanchez is coming off of surgery as well while Henne and Brady have only been getting stronger.

4.)  Their "Bravado" has only put a HUGE target on their backs come the start of the season.  Who wouldn't want to say "They beat the Super Bowl Winners of April/May".  Any time a team sticks its neck out this far, it's bound to get broken.  Even Rex Ryan couldn't believe his fans expectations...

5.)  While the Jets have made lots of "noise", the Dolphins have been addressing "needs" while replacing veterans with guy they "know" have "potential."  The Dolphins also haven't been coordinating daily press releases just to stroke off it's fan base, but instead is confidently working hard in the weight room and preparing to put its head down and play some football!

 

More after the jump...

Poll

Which is more likely the cause of the Jets '10 demise?

50%

The Sanchez Sophomore Slump! (No good rookie season necessary apparently)

86 votes

3%

Revis gets injured and the Jets Secondary implodes due to Cromartie as well!

6 votes

45%

Due to Karma, Thomas Jones has a huge season for the Chiefs, while LT breaks down and Shonne Greene slumps as well!

77 votes

169 votes | Poll has closed

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Phin Snap: Patrick Turner, Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, Ted Ginn (WR - Miami)

 

For some reason I keep coming upon Fanposts talking about how crappy our WR core is and how they don't pass the "eye test" and how they wouldn't even be considered on any other team in the NFL.  It really tends to get annoying especially since that WR core helped us win the AFC East title only 2 seasons ago.

 

 The main reason for this Phin Snap is to show that there is no way that we are cutting or trading Patrick Turner.  Why?  Because if we do, he will light us up in the future because he will find his way to the Jets where he can play with his ol' buddy Sanchez.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Getting lit up by two players who played incredibly well together in college and take it to the next level?  That alone should be enough incentive to keep the guy around...

 

I really don't think the Jets need any more ammunition and it also seems ridiculous to post about trading away receivers such as Brian Hartline, Camarillo, Bess, Ginn or Turner for unproven "waiting to be busts" WR in this draft.  There may be a #1 WR in this draft and we may get him or we may miss out but people forget that players are working to get better, so going off last seasons stats and saying they have little to no upside is ridiculous.  Sure we will cut some players, but I imagine it will be the the players we brought in as camp fodder.  Not to mention, if they have any worth, they will end up on our Practice Squad so if we have any injuries and they decide to take the next step they will be available.

A Look at our WR Core:

1.) Bess was lighting defenses up even though they were keying on him with double coverage and yet we should trade him away for a 3rd round draft pick?  How about a 2nd?  Man, that's just flat out dumb talk and your momma should slap you for talking as such.  Such a trade gives me epileptic fits with flashes of Wes Welker wearing number 83 in Aqua and Orange.

 

2.) Hartline absolutely killed it for a Rookie and I can only imagine what he will put together this year.  How can words even be spoken in regards to trading him for a 5th or 6th round pick in this year's draft.  For what?  What's so good in the 5th or 6th round that we need several picks when we have a guy who has shown he can be a playmaker.  Once he learns a few more veteran moves, the guy will learn the tricks to getting separation.  The chemistry between Henne and Hartline is there and that chemistry should be built upon, not traded away.

 

3.) Camarillo is absolutely sure-handed and I can think of several times in the last several seasons where we were facing a big 3rd/4th down conversion and I was screaming "THROW IT TO CAMARILLO" and my wish was fulfilled, as was the conversion.  While Camarillo sounds like a great Trade option, I feel like the guy played through an entire season without injury after coming off MAJOR surgery for his knee.  Now that he has the jitters past him, he can play this next season unhindered with a full offseason of getting stronger.

 

4.) Ginn a WR to loathe at times but sometimes your team makes it's bed and simply needs to lie down in it.  In this case we reached for Ginn but I have to say I noticed how our Offense didn't do as well when he lost his WR duties.  It just seemed like we had to do twice as much work to get that first down and move down the field when he wasn't out there.  While he has had his struggles, he certainly has time to get better and has the speed to keep defenses honest.  That's what we pay for, so let's get over it.

 

More after the Jump....

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Phin Snap: Julius Pruitt (WR - Miami)

 

I haven't posted a Phin Snap in a week or two and thought it was time to throw another one out since I looked at our current players and it seems like we picked up some WR for training camp and there's some interesting players.  I managed to actually find a video of Julius Pruitt and thought it warranted a posting.

 

Here's some info I found on him and are passing along:

Julius Pruitt, DS #50 WR, Ouachita Baptist  <!-- AddThis Button BEGIN -->
<!-- Start Player Picture Info Block -->

Name: Julius Pruitt  College: Ouachita Baptist     Number: 3 Height: 6-2   Weight: 206 Position: WR  Pos2: KR Class/Draft Year: rSr/2009 40 Time: 4.42      40 Low: 4.36   40 High: 4.56 Projected Round:   Stock:   High: 5-6  Low: PFA Rated number 50 out of 307 WR's     408 / 2492 TOTAL

<!-- END Player Picture Info Block -->

Combine Results		Pro Day Results
Combine Invite:  Height: 6014 Weight: 206 40 Yrd Dash:  20 Yrd Dash:  10 Yrd Dash:	225 Lb. Bench Reps:  Vertical Jump:  Broad Jump:  20 Yrd Shuttle:  3-Cone Drill:	Dates:  Height: 6014 Weight: 206 40 Yrd Dash: 4.40 20 Yrd Dash: 2.57 10 Yrd Dash: 1.49

 

Videos after the jump!

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Phin Snap: Danieal Manning (FS - Bears RFA)

 

It seems like slim pickings in the FS market for us unless some wild miracle happens (I think we might be able to land Darren Sharper) but until then I saw this player, Danieal Manning, and he came across as a double option for the Dolphins depth in regards to FS & Kick Return type duties.

 

The Main aspects that stood out were:

1.) He is an RFA but only has a low-level tender on him, meaning the Bears don't mind him leaving.  I believe they would get a 3rd rounder for him, which is kind of a bummer because I like our 3rd round picks.

2.)  His Age, he's 27 and has time left to play that position, but he's also played every position in the Secondary because Coach Lovie Smith keeps moving him around.

3.) His stats aren't too shabby, 78-90 tackles on a full season with 1-2 INT a year - See Danieal Manning's Stats

4.) He doesn't seem to fit in with the Bears system but has some years left to play.  He's been moved around from corner to FS to SS and should have good knowledge of all positions.  The Bears fans don't seem to mind him leaving but feel HIGHLY that he'd serve as a great NICKLE CB.

5.) I'd say it might be worth Mike Nolan taking a look at the guy to see if he could mold him into one of his playmakers.

6.) He also averages 27 to 30 yards a return on his kick return duties, so he'd double up on Special Teams duties.

Poll

Is Danieal Manning worth looking into?

4%

Yes, give up the 3rd and bring him in!

2 votes

40%

Yes, but offer a 4th or lower instead!

17 votes

54%

Nope, it's Atogwe or bust now....

23 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

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I have contributed several fanposts to the community and thought "Phin Snap" could be a "snapshot" that's quick and easy.  Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't, but I thought it'd at least stand out enough to make a point on players that are flying under the radar.

 

Phin Snap: Brodney Pool (FS)

 

On NFL.com they were going over several free agents and this player, Brodney Pool, came across as a curious option for the Dolphins depth.

 

The Main aspects that stood out were:

1.) He is an RFA but has no tag designated on him so he's free to pick up.

2.)  His Age, he's 25 has many years left to play that position.

3.) He has gotten better "Stat-wise" every season - See Brodney Pool's Stats

4.) Last season he had 11 passes defended and 4 INT & averages 50-60 tackles per season and could provide some depth since we cut Gibril Wilson.

Poll

Should the Dolphins bring in Brodney Pool for a look over?

78%

Yes - Check him out!

25 votes

12%

No - He sucks!

4 votes

9%

I think we are all set at FS....

3 votes

32 votes | Poll has closed

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I keep seeing flashes of a player whose hard hitting and has a nose for the ball (remember that INT from Clark in the endzone to end our comeback against the Steelers?).

 

Ryan Clark isn't afraid of contact and seems like a better fit even though Rolle may seem like the better safety option.

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Now I have to say, I'm at the point of hysteria when it comes to the calls against us.  Sean Smith pass interference? Really?  I saw at least 5 or more holding penalties that were never called.  It really does seem like if there is a flag I could bet my house on the fact that it will go against us. 

My MAIN GRIPE has to do with this little conundrum:  If Pat White was Tom Brady, would there have been a penalty assessed on the end of that run? There was a flag thrown but then it was picked up and no explanation was given.  I imagine it was probably because it was AGAINST PAT WHITE purely for the fact that he was a Miami Dolphin player.

Please comment below and let's see what the poll says.  The league has got to crack down on some of these officiating crews.

Poll

If Pat White was Tom Brady, would there have been a 15 yard penalty assessed? It was clearly helmet to helmet, so let's go with a personal foul penalty at the mininum...

84%

Absolutely!!! That defender better open up his checkbook for an NFL fine!!!

74 votes

15%

No, the refs are always right...

14 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

I keep hearing about Joey Porter and how we should not bring him back etc.  He's had an injury issue this year and it is evident that he's slowed down a bit (most likely due to a nagging injury).  It was great to see him have a Pro Bowl Year last year, but I like the fact that this year the Dolphins are ranked 5th in Sacks!

It just seems silly to get rid of a big name player that went to the Pro Bowl last year.  I think he can return to form and he can mentor the young DE on the team.  I just don't like hearing about how bad Porter has been when the team as a whole has been doing much better getting pressure and sacks than the previous year.

Poll

Do you like the overall play by our "team" in regards to sack totals?

84%

Yes! Our future looks bright!

33 votes

15%

No, we sucked!

6 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

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Look like there's another riff between Brandon Marshall and Josh McDaniels.  Could this be the opening the Dolphins need to secure a proven Pro Bowl Caliber receiver that has 3-100 catch seasons???

 

This seems like a big riff due to the fact that it's the last game of the season and they need this win to get into the playoffs.  Maybe they feel the win against the Chiefs will be that easy but maybe it gives us a chance? 

Granted the Uncapped Year issue may still be our biggest opponent.  Maybe we should have made bigger moves this year instead of waiting until this next off-season?

Poll

Do you think this is the straw that breaks the camels back and gives the Dolphins a chance to make a trade for Marshall even though an uncapped season is looming?

75%

Yes!!! Open up the bank! Here comes Marshal!!

90 votes

24%

No Way!!!!!

29 votes

119 votes | Poll has closed

In this fanpost, I'd like to point out a few glaring points about the Dolphins this season.  It seems like the theme of our season could be labeled "One Step Behind" due to the fact that several issues have caused us to be in that position.

 

1.) Injuries - This year we've had a long list of injuries and the loss of Ronnie Brown took away our dynamic duo.  We also had nagging injuries to Joey Porter and the loss of Ferguson took leadership out of our lineup.  Pennington's loss also didn't help but there's one aspect to this whole picture that gives me concern.  I don't agree with Sparano's policy of not allowing injured players to travel with the team or be on the team's sideline.  How many times would it have been beneficial to have Pennington on the sideline talking to Henne and sharing any insights that he saw about what the defense was doing?  How many times could Ferguson have been giving Soliai tips on what he saw the offense doing?  Many of our players this year that were injured were practically team captains and they were banished from the team even though they desperately wanted to help out in any way.  I'd take having Ronnie Brown on my sideline giving me positive feedback any day....

 

2A.) Coaching -Part 1 - After this year I'd have to say Dan Henning is ready to pass on the reigns to an up and coming Offensive Coordinator.  I say that because he is clearly unable to establish my next point, and that is our team identity.  I question the decisions to pass the ball on 1st and goal on the one yard line by Ricky Williams which ends up being intercepted and we end up losing the game by 3 points.  Too many times has our season come down to not executing plays that clearly have a low percentage of being executed.  I don't care what you see on game film, having your RB throw the ball when it's first and goal on the 1 sounds like "A DESPERATE TEAM WITHOUT AN IDENTITY" trying to get a highlight on ESPN.  Sadly it ended up being on our "low light" reel....

 

2B.) Coaching - Part 2 - Sparano is a good coach but I am sick and tired of the Dolphins "Playing to keep the game close."  Remember the phrase, "You play to win the game?"  Game managing is great but if we could figure out our "IDENTITY" and have people game planning for us rather than every week listening about how great the other teams TE or RB or QB is and how tough we need to practice to beat them. The Dolphins didn't seem to have any "SWAGGER" this year and it seems due to the fact that we actually have players that don't fit Dan Henning's Offensively Conservative Scheme with a splash of "Schizophrenia" mixed in.

When I read Patriots propaganda, what I see is a team stating "We are going to spread our offense out, throw a little run in, so TRY AND STOP US!" When I see the Dolphins play it's almost like they play so conservatively that we only win games by 3 points at the most it seems because we won't take any "CHANCES" until we are down by 27 points.  Even then we still punted on 4th and 4 when we had the ability to manage the clock in our favor.  By punting we officially lost the game!  We should have been able to convert the down without getting into 4th down territory but when your SEASON IS ON THE LINE, sometimes you need to go for it on 4th and 4 on our own 20.  It's better than going for it on 4th and 20 with only 30 seconds left on the clock, isn't it?

 

 

 

3.) Identity - With such a young team, it seems we are Bi-Polar or have a Multiple Personality Disorder because every week we see a different team take the field.  One week, we have no turnovers but our Defense can't tackle.  Next week we can tackle and our Defense looks amazing and suddenly our Offense can't catch and when they do catch they fumble the ball.  I am willing to bet that over this next off-season, these concerns will be addressed and shored up as a lot of it has to do with the injuries but I imagine next year we will have our share of more injuries as every team has to deal with them.  We have a strong arm and decent decision making in Henne who is working on his touch passes, it is now glaringly obvious we need a big strong WR or a couple of them like Duper and Clayton had.  Also, it looks like Sean Smith and Vontae Davis hit the "Rookie Wall" because these last couple games they have given up big plays and big yardage.  I expect next year to be different in the secondary, especially after we get rid of Gibril Wilson who dropped an interception that was tipped right to him.  I saw that being the straw that broke the camels back.

 

Thankfully we did develop some identity in that we are a tough team that is resilient and will never give up.  Sadly there is a low percentage of winning games when you allow teams to win games against you after being up by 3 touchdowns or lose games after coming back from a 21 point deficit.  No team completely fears you because they feel like they can win no matter how bad they start out.

 

 

 

4.) Schedule - We had the toughest schedule and if we can come out at 8-8, I still see that being a big accomplishment.  Although, I agree with Bill Parcells in that "you are what your record says you are." We could have been much more this year but like our pass rush, it seems we were always "ONE STEP BEHIND." I can't count how many times we were one step away from making that big sack for a fumble or a disruption of a big pass that ended up being a TD.  The same goes for our season, starting out 0-3, getting to 7-6 by beating the almighty Patriots, and then losing to 2 teams that are considered less of an opponent to be 7-8, under .500.   We have had 3 or 4 opportunities to have the Wildcard or even the AFC East Division title during this season and each Sunday we ended up playing like we didn't care.

 

 

 

5.) Conclusion - Posting this FanPost seems to be therapeutic, and after a season that makes you feel like the Dolphins organization is trying to weed out the true Dolphins fans and kill off all of the old Dolphins fans via heart attack, it seems like we all could use some "chilling out" and relaxation before a new season starts and the blood pressure begins rising some more... 

 

For this season, the only consolation we have left is trying to end the season at 8-8, which only leads me to the conclusion that this season's theme played out as "being one step behind" and I can only hope that next season our team works that much harder to gain the two steps that are needed so that that we are one step a head of all of our opponents.  This team needs to learn to FINISH and play to their STRENGTHS and develop an IDENTITY that strikes fear into every opponent.  We will add a few more pieces to our puzzle and soon will be SWEEPING the Patriots, Jets, and Bills when you combine a resilient team that has serious playmakers...

 

PS.) - Referees - We seriously have to have the worst officiating crews assigned to us every season because it seems like Rule changes occur during the next season because of how bad calls were against in the previous season.  I also put this with my gripe with the "Football Gods" who tend to spit on us from time to time due to our unbeaten run to the super bowl.  I have a feeling that next season, the "Football Gods" may show some mercy towards us for how badly they treated us this year.

Joshua Cribbs is a good player and the type of player you want on your team.  His answer about his contract situation was golden and he's got lots of years left in the league.  The Browns don't want to pay the man and I'm sure many teams out there would be willing to pay him well...

Cribbs also is a GREAT punt returner and it'd be great to not have BESS back there returning punts as he should be kept fresh for his GREAT catches he makes for us on OFFENSE.