SB Nation User Blog: dolphinsfan4life

My thoughts on the K.C. game and onto the Finale

dolphinsfan4life — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:27:35 -0000

This actually started off as a "response" in Nicky's gameballs post but I started rambling on so much and adding so many paragraphs, that I just figured I should post it seperately. So here it is...

I love Chad Pennington.. what can I say.. the next best thing to Dan Marino (since Dan Marino retired)...and I know we have all been (I can't believe I'm using this word) "yearning" for a QB in Miami that can actually take the team on his shoulders..and we have that guy! Way to go Pennington.. we definitely wouldn't be where we are today without him.. Our hands-down MVP and should be seriously considered for the league.. next week will really solidify or (somewhat hamper) that notion.. but I think it'll be solidified ;)

With all the history of this team..and all the places they've played on the road and late in the year am I in shocked that THIS game was the COLDEST in Dolphins history! and when they showed the top 5 "coldest Dophins games" Buffalo wasn't even on the list! WOW! up to this point, when Miami played in games below 25 degrees..they were 3-7 (only 10 games that were that cold!?) and then came this one.. it was damn frigid! but they did what was necessary and fought through it and what a great "WARM-UP" (LOL) for next weeks cold weather game.. they'll be just fine for that one.

- IMPORTANT NOTE - warm front coming through northeastern zone this week! temperatures rising all week and by the weekend it's supposed to be around 50 DEGREES with some RAIN in NEW YORK!!

The O-Line was awesome...heck, the OFFENSE as a whole was incredible and thank goodness too because they really had no choice with what transpired in the first half.. The defense took some time to "warm-up".. and they did.. at halftime... and then took care of business..

The running game was solid...yeah sure, it would have been nice to see more Brown but it doesn't matter much when the team is doing what it's doing.
The WILDCAT came back...and look at what happened! They perform something DIFFERENT in the formation and it works for BIG gains! They do the simple fake hand-off and Brown up the gut.. and not so much.. they have to keep it fresh and unpredictable!...and I LOVE THE NEW WILDCAT WHERE PENNINGTON WASN'T EVEN ON THE FIELD!! That is a TRUE WILDCAT formation where you turn the tables to have 11 on 11 with all power players.. it's great! and it worked and I think we'll see it again...

The passing game was surprisingly pretty good and with that cold and wind, it made it all that much more impressive, ESPECIALLY to the PENNINGTON NAY-SAYERS about his "ARM STRENGTH"...and I'll be honest, in a cold/windy game like this, even I thought the lack of raw arm strength would be a "bit" of a factor..and maybe it was at times..but very little...he did what was necessary and had a great game! Three BIG TD's that up'd his stats AGAIN! A 111 rating game that gave him his SIXTH of the year (100+) and is at 96.4 for the year...now #2 in the NFL! (only behind Rivers) ...yet both of them aren't in the Pro Bowl! hmmmm?

Bess is incredible...plain and simple. To do what he's had to do, in the way and in the time he's had to do it.. is amazing! He's had to mature and develop VERY fast and it's worked very well.. Chad (and the team) can count on this guy and he's proving his worth.. this team HAS WEAPONS! plain and simple..maybe not in the "star studded cast" kind of way that the media likes to portray but heck, when you see what our guys are doing and what they are capable of.. I'd go to war with them any day! Ginn, Bess, Fasano, Martin....and now COBBS! wow.. this guy really does do everything!
And now the KICKOFFS too! and in grand fasion! YEE-HAW! Very impressive...and then some running plays, passing plays.. whatever the need, he'll fill it and do what's necessary for success...gotta love it! Yet another SNUB for the ProBowl

The turnover battle was won again but we unfortunately took a hit in the all-time record quest. We're still ahead and should get (keep) the record but it was a lock, up until this game was over. Only 10 turnovers going into this game (with two left) and the record, as we all know, is 14 for the whole season. So it's simple; keep doing what we've been doing (1 or less turnovers a game - all season) and we're golden. Well, that trend unfortunately ended today...barely. With two turnovers and it probably shouldn't have even been that way because the fumble by Ricky should have been called back as I truly believe (and not because I'm biased) that he was down by contact before the ball came loose. So when all is said and done, we get our first game with two turnovers and we're now at 12 on the year. So our "wiggle-room" is one. One turnover (or less) and the record is solely ours...and that's a great record to have guys. It takes a LOT of disciple and great play (and some luck) to go a whole season and not give the ball up many times. I think we'll do it too. This game was cold and windy and it was to be expected a little that this could happen...but they handled it very well and did what was necessary on the other side...and that was to CREATE turnovers and that they did! Four of them! To make them +2 on the day and now +14 on the year (tops in the league if I'm not mistaken). That's special and that is very much thanks to Chad and then trickles down to everyone else on the offense. Great job guys.

The defense was soft (to put it lightly) in the first half. Gave up a lot of yardage and points and the game really started to look earily similar to the Patriots game a month ago. Almost exclusively spread offense from the shotgun with a lot of passes and when running, getting great yardage and unfortunately, a ton of missed tackles on our part. BUT the troops rallied and whatever happened at halftime worked...and worked well! Because as Matty stated in his post (with the great statistical breakdown), the defense really got it together when it mattered in the second half and tightened up and took care of business. That was really all we needed.
With a game that was a (heavily unexpected) shoot-out that had both teams trading blows (TD's) back and forth; the defense that stepped up to get the one (or two) key stops in the second half was going to win.. and win, WE did. It was great. Not the best statistical game for the D but they got it done and in the end, four turnovers and three sacks, that's pretty good and in this case, was what was needed to seal the deal.
I would have liked it if Porter could have had more (or should I say any?) impact on this game and got a sack or two but it happens. And no matter because others stepped up, like Roth and Goodman. What a game Goodman had! Great coverage and a timely interception. He played very well today and deservedly gets a gameball in a game that the secondary got torched a bit.
Either way, you just knew that when it was getting down to crunch time in the 4th quarter that the defense was going to shut 'em down and win the game. I absolutely love fact that we can now boast and be confident about our team in the "crunch time" of a game! It's been so long since we could have the true confidence that you just know that we're going to do whatever it takes to win the game or to hold onto the win and that we need not worry (much) when times are tough because Chad can get it done to win a game (in any scenario) and that the defense can lock it up and put away a team in the dwindling moments at the crucial times! Its so comforting to have that feeling again about this team in many facets of their game and it's just all that more amazing and refreshing because it was less then a year ago that this whole thing was an absolute mess!

The coaching/co-ordinating was pretty good today. I (like many other here) didn't like the 4th down call that had Chad throwing the fade to Haynos and it went incomplete. In that situation, it just seemed that the call was about as low percentage as you could have made it with a play like that in those conditions. Either take the points (the almost sure thing field goal) or go with a (possibly somewhat conservative) run or little playaction or screen. We all know that the quick f"ull-back up the gut" play is almost a sure thing, even in that situation and that was honestly what I was expecting. Other then that though, I felt pretty good with the rest of the coaching.

I noticed Matty talking about how well the O-Line played today and that Chad was basically untouched and I agree that the O-Line was very good today and that Chad didn't get sacked but the "untouched" part was overlooked a bit and I only say this because Chad was actually getting hit and in many cases, hit HARD after a lot of plays in the game! Especially in the early going. They even got the late hit penalty on them for what they were doing but it was a lot more then just that once. I saw at least FIVE times that Chad went to the ground HARD after a throw/play because he got smacked/pushed by a defender and you could see that it was getting to him a bit. The tv coverage showed two times in particular where he was pulling himself off the ground with this distinct look of "damn I'm cold and this hurts but I've got to get up and keep going" on his face...and for that, I LOVE IT! It's yet another thing to be proud of and amazed at with our fearless leader! He took a beating today like I haven't seen in any other game this year, in a game where he didn't even get sacked once. But he took his lickin' and kept on tickin'. Gotta love it

And now, it's the ultimate showdown of the year. The rematch game of the season that is for all the marbles, so to speak. We win and we're in! and not just in but division winners! and now, due to the Jets loss today, they could win and still be ousted if New England wins (looks good on them). But with that aside, this is what the remarkable dream season come down to and honestly, would we want it any other way? Yeah, sure, we would have liked to be a 12-13 win team with a first round bye locked up and all that jazz but being realistic, we're far ahead of what we projected and now we have a chance at history and it's coming down to a game like this. What can you say but it's going to be quite the grand finale (of the regular season that is). It's all on the line and in New York. Chad going back to the place he called home for the past eight years after getting ousted out of town for an aging former super-star that was going to turn the franchise around...and that team beat him and his new team in the first game of the year, in his new home. It created a short whirlwind frenzy that boasted about the Jets going places and the Dolphins back in 1-15 form but how so much has changed through the season. The Jets doing well through the mid-point and supposedly coasting to the division crown after big wins against New England and Tennessee and then reality hits and the losing begins and now 1-3 in their last four and the door closing fast..a team that is on the downfall and slipping fast about to play the BIG GAME of the year against a team that is probably the last team in the league they want to face! The team on the RISE, the team that has won 8 of their last 9 and has shocked the football world this season. A team that has completely turned things around after that first loss to the Jets (and Arizona), that seems like a lifetime ago. A team that has found their identity, their determination, their drive and their leader(s) who is about to accomplish something that seemed unthinkable only a few short months ago. It's incredible and it's about to culminate in the pinnacle of transformation next week. We are about to witness history and I wouldn't have it any other way and against any other team right now. We're ready. We've been building up to this point, all season. We've come to far to leave anything on the table at this point. It doesn't matter what happens during that game or what the conditions or circumstance might be but this team WILL find a way to win that game and put the ultimate exclamation point on this incredible season. It's going to happen. It's inevidable and it's going to be a great sight to see and no matter what happens next week, it's been an incredible ride that I'll never forgot.

So let's enjoy this victory Monday yet again and then get ourselves set for the showdown of the decade against our (possibly) most hated rivals, in their house. There will be a lot of talk and analysis in the days ahead and all of it will be useless and irrelevant because when this Sunday comes and our boys in teal step onto that field, all bets are off and our destiny will await. This will be the end of a lengend.. a farewell voyage of sorts for the gun-slinger from Green Bay and a triumphant re-birth for the guy tossed to the curb only a few months ago. My fellow fans, the torch is about to be passed on in a way that no one and especially any Jets fans, could have ever imagined! Are you ready... I know I am

Power Rankings - Week 16

dolphinsfan4life — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:34:12 -0000

Another week of games has passed and it's Tuesday, so the various sports sites have released their Power Rankings and down below are a couple.

ESPN has Miami at 11 (having moved up one spot):


6 (8)	Cowboys	9-5-0	Dallas scored a huge win over the Giants. Its defense has been superb and could be dangerous in the playoffs. (MM)
7 (7)	Ravens	9-5-0	The Ravens missed out on a golden opportunity against Pittsburgh. Now they have to earn a postseason berth the hard way. (JW)
8 (11)	Falcons	9-5-0	The victory over Tampa Bay assured the Falcons a winning season, but they want more than that. With games against Minnesota on the road and St. Louis at home, they might need the Bucs and Cowboys to stumble. (PY)
9 (10)	Patriots	9-5-0	The Patriots refuse to go away and could jockey into a division title. (TG)
10 (6)	Buccaneers	9-5-0	The Bucs remain very much in the playoff race with home games against the Chargers and Raiders. But those games can't be taken for granted, with injuries piling up and the Bucs on a two-game losing streak. (PY)
11 (12)	Dolphins	9-5-0	The Dolphins keep winning and still control their destiny. (TG)

and Foxsports has Miami at 16 (having moved up two spots):

How are the Dolphins 9-5 you ask? A little smoke and mirrors for sure, but also plenty of smarts. Football intelligence means knowing your strengths and weaknesses -- so Chad Pennington is not long in the arm? Feature creative short-passing and use your two quality RBs to your advantage, which leads to better ball-control and fewer turnovers.The Dolphins have turned the ball over just 10 times thus far, an NFL record low over a season's first 14 games. COOL STAT: Miami has not allowed an offensive TD in three straight games for the first time since 1973. THIS WEEK: at Chiefs (2-12)

______

Can you believe that FoxSports has us at 16! That's ridiculous. Espn's rating is at least reasonable and when you see the breakdown of all the voters on Espn, Miami was as high as 7th or as low as 14th.. That makes a lot more sense.

Your thoughts below!

The Aftermath - My Account of the Game in Toronto

dolphinsfan4life — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 21:35:39 -0000

I know that this is coming a bit late as the game was four days ago but I have been indisposed since then.

I was at the "ground breaking" event in Toronto and had previously promised that I would post "My Account" of the game.

Obviously, there has already been a lot of posts about the game and my points, perspectives and breakdowns, so I will make this shorter then I originally might have.

1) The Tailgate:
Due to Canadian law, there are restrictions on tailgating in public and this is a sore spot for many people here within the country and definitely for an American fans travelling north to come see a game.

As much as I hate the Bills (as a team), I absolutely love going to games there and go almost every year for the annual Phins in Buffalo contest. The atmosphere is great, you can drink in public in their massive parking lots that have 30,000+ fans in attendance several hours before the game and it's just all around a "complete NFL football game experience", that everyone has to try.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in Canada. You can't party/drink in public or in the parking lots, etc...and the tailgate party is setup seperately in a designated area by a corporate sponsor that you have to stay within and pay for their beer and food. It's certainly not the same and the few Buffalo Bills fans that made the trek up here were baffled and upset by this policy.

Anyways, as for the tailgate, it was surprising not bad and turned out to be a lot more entertaining then I had anticipated. Although the temperature was very cold and windy. It was something like -20 with windchill...which (in Fahrenheit for the Americans) is around 0! So yes, it was damn cold...but the atmosphere was pretty good and there were several hundred people who braved the elements to be a part of the pregame party. My friends and myself were there for about 4-5 hours before the game.
Buffalo greats like Jim Kelly, Andre Reid and Doug Flutie were a part of the festivities and we got to me a few of them and they tried there best to get the Bills fans rallied up for the game, although there were more of us (Dolphins fans) around.

So the pregame was fun and was a better then expected lead up to the game, of which my friends and I went into the dome about 45 minutes before kickoff.

2)The Climate/Conditions:
As I had mentioned above, the weather on Sunday was freezing and the conditions in Buffalo were almost the same. Close to 0 fahrenheit windchill with 20+ mile/hr winds, some light snow and just all around terrible weather for a team like Miami. For this I am greatful because having this game in a dome was definitely a HUGE advantage for Miami as opposed to this being played in the harsh confines of "The Ralph" in Buffalo. I still am surprised about this game being the one chosen for the Canadian experiment and if I was a Bills fan, I would be very upset! It should have never been a divisional game and definitely not one that is a warm weather team. But Miami fans say "Thanks!" Believe it or not, I probably would have still preferred to have the game in Buffalo but I can't deny the advantage and bonus that gave us to play in a dome and for that I was thankful. Poor Bills fans and they have let their feelings be known about this game being played up north.

3) The "Home Field Advantage":
This statement is somewhat of a joke because there was almost no advantage at all! I knew going in that there was going to be a good number of Phins fans in attendance because we simply have a lot of us here and I figured that it might be 25-40% but when I got there I was pleasantly surprised that we were basically at even strength with the Bills fans, if not more! It was absolutely incredible! There was also a lot of neutral fans who were wearing Jets, Steelers, Packers jerseys, etc that helped out but the overall amount of Bills fans was at best 50% but likely lower then that and that helped our team out in a big way.

The atmosphere was no where near as intense as it usually is in Buffalo and no where near as loud as it gets down in Buffalo or any American NFL stadium for that matter and with the normal fan base that Buffalo plays with, this was a rather big loss for them because they heavily rely on the "12 Man" to help them out and it was no where to be found on Sunday. Overall, it was fairly docile and at many times it was hard to determine how the plays/calls went because of the crowd reaction was confusing as to which team was being cheered for. Third downs for Miami, which would normally be deafening in Buffalo were almost quiet and made a huge difference for cadence, reads and audibles because it was much easier to deal with.

Overall up here in Canada, fans in general just aren't as loud and crazy when it comes to sporting events and that was quite evident here on Sunday. The atmosphere was still good but definitely far from what it would have been in Buffalo and far from what it is in most NFL stadiums, so with that being said, this played into Miami's hands beautifully and many of the players even stated that they were surprised at how many Phins fans and jersey's they saw and that it was almost like a home game for them! That's very sad for Buffalo but great for us!

On a side note, I did have signs made up for this game and was really hoping that they would get air time on tv to finally help promote THIS SITE on a network wide scale but unfortunately, that did not happen. They got a bit of play outside during the tailgate party and picked up by a local tv network that was doing some footage of the partying, so that was ok but I was a bit letdown that it never happened during the game.
Actually, after having watched the game afterwards (I recorded it), it was quite evident that it was televised differently and there wasn't as many cameras and scans of the crowd, etc and this is likely why I didn't make it on.. I was one of very few who had signs...maybe 2 or 3 other people and my signs were clean and were promoting CBS.
BTW this signs were:
1.PTR Pound The Rock with a big Dolphins logo on it.
2. miami fans say - the Conditions are Beautiful, thankS (using the CBS for the big letters) and then www.thephinsider.com at the bottom.
3. riCky williams and ronnie Brown, Scoring touchdowns, and then the site again at the bottom..
once again, it's too bad they didn't make it

4)The Game:
As for the game itself, I had to like the fact that we got the W and it was a rather dominating effort all around. Yes, I would have liked to have gotten more points and the Ricky Williams touchdown that got called back was rather disheartening but we won the game and almost all facets of the game were played very well.

For this being the first game in Canada and all the promotion and money that was put into it, I'm sure everyone would have liked to see more of a contest with more scoring,etc...I actually almost wanted to see Buffalo score more and make it more of a game and then have us blow 'em out of the water with more points but that didn't happen. Either way, we dominated them thoroughly and took care of business. The running game was effective, Chad was on the money, the defense was stellar and the special teams played pretty good. What else could we ask for!

Here's a few of my takes from the game and please note that a few of them are from my secondary viewing of the game afterwards when I watched my recorded take at home.

Ronnie Brown on 3rd downs: I don't know what it is about this but if there is one thing that kind of bothers me about Sparano (or Henning) and it's rare that there is anything to complain about, it's this. Why do we almost always take our best player out of the game on 3rd downs? If I counted correctly, Ronnie Brown was only left in for three 3rd downs (maybe four..at most) and basically, every other time, it was Ricky that was in. We all know that we want to see Ronnie more and I don't really care if it takes having both of them in together more often (and I think that should happen) but we have to keep Brown in a lot more on 3rd downs then we are presently doing! He is our best player and repeatedly taking him out in this crucial situations is detrimental to this team, especially when he could be used out of the backfield, in the slot due to his great catching abilities.
This game was no different then most; Brown came out on most 3rd downs and it baffled most who watched. It's not like we have an amazing 3rd down conversion rate or anything, so that can be used in defense and it's not like he's getting 25-30 carries a game either, so what's the deal? I hope that changes.

Quick note on the announcers and particularily "Kevin Harlin" or whatever his name is. I know this has been mentioned a few times already on several posts but hearing him repeatedly say "Ricky Brown" time after time was just ridiculous. As Keyshawn Johnson like to say, "C'Mon Man..!" get your act together and get the names right..and if that wasn't enough, I couldn't even count the number of times that he made mistakes on calls for yardage, downs, players, penalties, etc.. I was quite the pathetic play-by-play for someone who should be able to do a better job.

How 'bout our main man, big game, Mr. Clutch.... Ernest Wilford! Hahaha. What can you say but...he finally saw some action and made the smallest amount of impact? It was nice (at most) to see him get involved in the slightest bit and he ended up with two receptions for 10 yards and more importantly he actually made one semi-significant first down. That's about it. However, it did appear that when they used him or went to him (I should say), it seemed as if it was a bit forced. Almost like, "we have him on the roster and we're paying him a ton, he's in the game, let's make a couple of plays directly for him whether or not it's called for or makes sense to do so at that time". That's how I see it. I've basically given up on the "EW Project". He'll be around until the end of the season and maybe make another 5 catches and have little contribution but if he's called upon and has to make a play, I just hope that he does.

Not much more can be said for Devone Bess, other then WOW! Great game and way to go kid! He's fit in like a natural and has stepped into the #2 spot perfectly and I couldn't feel better about it. He's matured fast and put up a great game on Sunday with numbers that I didn't really expect at all, well at least not to that level, in terms of leading the team so heavily in receptions. Nice receptions for 74 yards with some timely plays and just all around good play, route running, phsical presense and good hands, it was very nice to see and I think he's going to be a vital part in our quest for the playoffs down the stretch. It really is amazing how a guy like him can step into that spot after Greg goes down and with little experience and playing time, make it seem like he was there all along. Once again, "way to go kid!" Keep it up.

Chad was awesome on Sunday and I agree with Nicky's #1 game ball for him. Even though his numbers weren't "mind blowing", like they seldom ever are; he was a field general out there and had complete command of the game and his team mates. Being perfect in the second half (11-11 66yrds) was beautiful. He did what he had to in the first half and pretty much coasted in the second half. Beautiful throws that were perfectly placed and made them look easy and what I really liked about his game this time was his rolling out of the pocket! Where did that come from? It was incredible. He was utilized in this way about 4-5 times and did it beautifully everytime and I don't see why that can't be done more often because I think that could really open some more options up for this offense. Overall he was an "A" for this week's performance.

The defense was stellar although I think was partly attributed to the down right pathetic level of play by the Bills offense. Before the game, I was a little nervous about J.P. but this game just re-solidified his position as a below average first round bust and I think that we may never see him again in the league after this season. His legs (which worried me a bit) did create some plays and he got some big first downs and over 50 yards but in the end it didn't matter much. Their run game was practically non existant (other then the bit by JP) and their passing was just as useless. We've all got to be happy about how little Lee Evans was utilized and that he didn't go off on us for a huge game like he usually does and on the field turf at the Skydome, it should have been a track meet for him. Great job D and nice game on getting back on the "Sack Track"! Porter likely should have had three sacks because he just missed one on the play before his second but two puts him back in the lead and I'm happy with that. The interception by Allen was amazing and right down in the corner where I was sitting, so that was rather sweet to see in person. That was about the only threatening drive/play that Buffalo had on us all day and you just knew that J.P. was due for something like that but great play by Will.

Tedd Ginn unfortunately didn't get into the game very much at all but as you could see, it wasn't needed. He was covered quite well a lot of the game and that opened things up for the likes of Bess and Fasano (who it was nice to see get some decent numbers and another TD this week). Ginn may have only had one catch for 18 yards but his presense and play was more "intangible" in this one and that was just fine with me. Can you believe that Fasano leads the team in receiving TD's with four!

The last stat that I would believe was the most astounding and most tell-tale of the game and the dominance by Miami on Sunday was the Time of Posession! 37:31 to 22:29 with a 15 minute difference is crazy! and was quite the site to see! That is utter domination and shows how well we controlled the game on both sides of the ball. Incredible and that's about all I can say. We typically win almost every time when we control the ball more but to see a number this far in our favour, is amazing.

Once again, we won the turnover battle, 3-0. That is one of the most amazing stats of this season and probably the second biggest reason for our success this year (outside of the signing of Pennington). We still have only given up the ball 10 times which tied the record for 12 games (last week) and are three games away from the all time record! 14 turnovers in a 16 week season is the record and I truly believe that we will beat it. Our discipline in this manner and Chad's control of the ball and smarts not to make many mistakes is amazing and is huge in the success of this team. I believe it will continue and if it does, look out!. Just think of those things, all together, how can anyone beat a team with production and discipline in areas like that? Great time of possession, winning the turnover battle, a great running game, a smart error free quarterback, a tough bend but don't break defense who stops the run well and gets after the quarterback and the discipline to make few stupid penalties (most of the season anyways). If that isn't a recipe for ultimate success then I don't know what it!

I should probably wrap this up by now. I'm rambling on quite a bit hear and I know that much of this has be re-hashed over and over in the past few days but I just wanted to say my part for this game and for our play up to this season, taking us towards the post season. This next game is going to be huge, well, they all are. The last home game of the (regular) season, against a team that is playing much better lately but thankfully has their star running back likely out. It's the next step before the two "cold weather" games come 'a callin'. K.C. might be tougher then we think and that final game of the year in New York is going to be a thriller. I just can't wait! This season has been a dream come true and keeps getting better.

Lets keep up the faith and speak the best over this team because they truly have what it takes to make it happen and I believe they will. Lookin forward to Sunday, so I'll wrap this up now. Take er easy and GO PHINS!!

IDEAS For a Sign to Display on Sunday in Toronto

dolphinsfan4life — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:35:32 -0000

Well, it's finally here! The record breaking event of the first regular season game north of the border and I will be in attendance. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I'm still amazed that this was the game that was chosen for first one to be played here via Buffalo and I know that the Bills fans aren't too happy about it either. It's a great advantage to us because we'll be inside and not in the harsh confines of "The Ralph", where we don't have a very good record in late season games in the past 15 years. As well, I believe that there will be 1/4 to 1/3 the people as Phins FANS and that's a huge bonus too. We have quite the following up here as a second team other then the Bills.

So I will be in attendance and decked out in Miami gear with a few friends (only me and one other where I am seated) and I would like to make a sign to display. I will be in a great spot for it too. First row, level 200 around the 5yrd line/endzone and I'll have the overhang wall/railing to display my sign. With that being said, I'm welcoming ideas for the sign! I mentioned this in another post the other day and a few ideas have been brought up but I figured I'd do a quick post here to make it official.

I would definitely like to promote this site as I've been told it has never been done in a live game on tv before. So something that has WWW.THEPHINSIDER.COM will be on it somewhere...maybe a catch line with it? and there has been many recommendations of PTR (Pound The Rock)... and obviously I HEAVILY INCREASE my chances of display if I use the networks initials! Who has it for this game? CBS? FOX? Try to find that out and then supply some ideas to use the letters of the network..

I guess that's it...all ideas are welcomed. I can't wait for this game. It's going to be a blast! I will take some great photos to post later and will certainly post my report about the game as well.

Go PHINS!

Week 14 Power Rankings - We win and drop 2 spots?

dolphinsfan4life — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:18:17 -0000

Well another week has gone by and another victory added to Miami's improbable season of "rebuilding". The weekly NFL power rankings have been released and I am a bit surprised by ESPN's rankings of the Dolphins.

Below is the link for ESPN's Power Rankings and below that is the quick analysis of Miami's position:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2008&week=14&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

16 (14)

Dolphins

7-5-0

Their lackluster victory over the Rams was the only Week 13 triumph among AFC East clubs, putting them one game out of first place. (TG)

Now I know we didn't exactly "blow out" the Rams, which people were expecting we were capable of and we've played rather close games against the lower ranked teams but to win this game and be the ONLY AFC East team to do so and drop two spots in the rankings is an attrocity.

I would assume that I am not the only one who feels this way? Ok, maybe jump up one spot or even stay even but to say that we are "two spots worse"? I find that very puzzling and yet another testament to the lack of respect that this team has from the media.

As stated before, this really shouldn't matter and what others may think about our club is usually irrelevant but I really believe that we have earned better recognition and just aren't getting it.

FoxSports rankings has us at 15, having dropped "one" spot and says this:

"The last team to win 10 games in a season one year after winning just one game was the 1963 Raiders from the ol' AFL days. 45 years later, Miami has a real shot at performing the feat, but a lot rides on their two remaining division games against Buffalo this week and at the Jets in the season finale."

At least there is something good written about Miami on the AFC East blog section of ESPN that is a testament to Miami's turnovers this year:

Through the first 12 games of a season, no team in NFL history has turned over the ball less frequently than the 2008 Miami Dolphins.The Dolphins have an NFL-low 10 giveaways. Chad Pennington has thrown six interceptions, and they've lost four fumbles.Only three other teams had 10 turnovers through 12 games: the 1992 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 New York Jets (also with Pennington as quarterback) and 2007 New England Patriots.
All of them made the playoffs.
Miami is on pace to shatter its previous franchise record for fewest turnovers. It committed 20 of them in 1997.

So, what are your thoughts about the lack of respect that the Dolphins seem to be continually getting? Should we care? Does it really matter? All I can say is that we're sitting in a great position right now to do something pretty amazing and that's win the division. If that happens, then I'm sure all of this will change but we've got to get there first and it all starts this weekend, up here in Toronto!

Will Wilford Get a Shot?

dolphinsfan4life — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:38:05 -0000

I know this topic has been discussed on and off throughout the season and really was laid to rest not too long ago but now with Camarillo going down for the season, things change, a bit.

It appears likely that Davone Bess will take the vacant spot but there is the outside chance of either Brandon London or Ernest Wilford but realistically it'll be Bess at #2 and London at #3.

However, with that being said, will they finally re-activate Wilford and at least give him the smallest chance to make an impact at the #3 or #4 spot? I think that is the best Wilford could hope for and maybe get in on 3-5 plays. I don't see why they wouldn't at least give him a chance. When you think about it, what do they have to lose? The fourth spot and maybe throw a ball or two his way and who knows, maybe even contribute a little. Really, what other options do they have right now and is it really a big deal? Maybe just maybe, he'll show that he can still play at a decent level and make a few plays.

I really don't think there's any reason not to give him the slightest shot at the #3 or #4 spot and to throw a few balls his way. He's a fairly big and somewhat physical receiver who's been in the league a few years with some reasonable numbers.

What do you think?

Refer a Friend!

dolphinsfan4life — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:51:37 -0000

I was just thinking about a few things fan related and about this site and thought it would be a good idea to do some promotion. Not that many of you haven't done this already but I think that with such a great fan site for the best team in NFL history, why not try and increase it's size of it's following!

The bigger this community and the more (dedicated) fans it has, the better it is for everyone. So I thought about trying to get more people attracted to this site.
I've always be one who has tried to convert football fans and/or to bring new ones on to be a part of the Miami mania and figured why not try to refer some friends/fans to this site!

So why not let us try to bring a few more people to the Phinsider over the next few days/weeks/months to grow the family of Dolphins fans and increase the buzz around this incredible team!
I'm willing to bet that most of us have at least one friend who is a Dolphin fan who hasn't been made aware of this incredible fan forum ..but should be! Why not start now?

Let's go Miiiiiiaaammmmi!

(More) Burning Questions

dolphinsfan4life — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:29:13 -0000

First off, I want to give my praise to Matty I for his post on "5 Burning Question". It's a great post and all his work is great insight and commentary on the important topics surrounding the Dolphins from week to week.
This post certainly isn't to take away from the first one, copy it in any way or to suggest that anything was missed...I simply just want to add some more "Burning Questions" to the discussion(s) for this week's "game of the year".

Will Randy Moss be a factor or be kept relatively in-check as he has been for much of the season?
It's amazing how little his name was brought up during Q&A sessions with coach Sparano during this week's interviews. Even though his numbers are fairly decent (better than any receiver on Miami's team), they are nothing compared to what he put up last year and there has been several games this year where his impact was minimal. In week 3 Miami kept him in check to the level that he had no impact on the game what so ever (4rec 25yds 7long 0td). Will this be the case again this week? Making sure he doesn't go to town on them will be important because everyone knows he can change a game like few others.
Obviously, keeping him in-check will be an important facet for the defense to control.

Can the Dolphins D control the passing attack and contain Cassel if he tries to scramble for first downs?
I'm very curious about this and a bit concerned at the same time too. As has been noticed in a progressive fasion this season, Matt Cassel has been tucking the ball and running up the field for key first downs. His numbers aren't staggering by any means but he is definitely making some plays with his legs and could cause some frustration if he does this against Miami this week. Keep in mind, back in week 3 he ran for a fairly long touchdown that was called back due to a holding penalty and then a play later Miami got the ball on a tipped interception. Miami also gave up the game winning TD to Houston in the final second to a spread offense qb keeper that most won't soon forget.
So making sure he is kept in the pocket and minimizing any impact he has with his legs could be very important.

What will Bill Belichick have in store this time to avoid being swept by an AFC East opponent for the first time since 2000?
That's right, New England hasn't been swept by either Buffalo, New York or Miami since 2000 and since 2003 have only lost back to back games once. Thats a very incredible stat but there is certainly reasons for it and Bill Belichick is certainly one of them. He's a master planner and hates to lose, especially in succession so he'll pull out all the stops to ensure this doesn't happen Sunday. What will he do though? What will his focus be? What will his offensive and defensive gameplans be? Will he completely shut down the Wildcat?
There's a lot of questions and a lot of possibilities but don't be surprised by anything that might happen during this game. He'll have them ready and he'll be prepared for a battle. If anyone thinks Miami will have the kind of easy day they had back in week 3, they could be in for some serious heart ache.

Will Joey Porter be able to have a similar day (6tkl 4sacks) on Sunday like he had in week 3?
Porter's coming out party really started back on that day where he went buckshot on the N.E. o-line and Matt Cassel. He had four of Miami's five sacks that day and the assault on the record books really took off from that day.
New England is one of the last teams in the league for sacks given up, having let their qb's go down 33 times. Porter must be salivating at the opportunity to out-do what he did in week 3 and really make a huge impact in this game and to hopefully set the tone early.
This will be very important in this game and not just him. The whole defense will have to ensure to get constant pressure on Matt Cassel if they are to have any chance at having a good day with their pass defense.
Many eyes will be on Joey on Sunday. Let's hope he puts on a show.

How will the O-Line hold up in what will likely be a more agressive gameplan by the N.E. defense?
In week 3, New Englands defense got very little pressure on Chad Pennington and couldn't stop the run. Miami's o-line did a great job of protection and run-blocking. Will this be the same on Sunday? You can bet that Belichick will have a gameplan to change that this week and try a few things to disrupt Miami's passing attack and to keep the running game in check.
Miami's o-line has improved greatly this season and is a big reason for their success but there are certainly weaknesses on the right side of the line that might be exploited on Sunday.
How well the line holds up as a unit will go a long way in ultimately determining the outcome of this game.

How will the Wildcat be utilized in this game, if at all and what new tweaks might it have in response to the preparation that N.E. most certainly has practiced for?
You can bet that Belichick and the N.E. defense has studied a lot of film and practiced a whole lot for Miami's vaulted "Wildcat" offense that ran wild on them back in week 3. Many are saying that in order to have success, it will have to be used at the right times and must have something new in it that hasn't been seen before.
That's the beauty of this formation; it's so versitile and has endless possibilities. We have seen but just a glimpse of it's ultimate potential and variety that it will be capable of.
Some new wrinkles will certainly have to be implemented to have some sustained success against a defense that will likely be waiting and keying on this formation.
So what's it gonna be and what are we gonna see?

Will this be a wild shoot-out type of game or more of a close to the vest type of contest?
Obviously, there is a lot of takes and views on this and it really could go either way just as easily. I believe that this will depend on the initial flow of the game and on what kind of tone gets set in the early stages.
There certainly has been many games in the history of this matchup that have been "barn burners" and several that have been low scoring, defensive contests. I tend to believe that this likely will be more of a "playing close to the vest" kind of contest but will have it's fair share of scoring but it may take a bit for things to open up a bit.
Momentum will be huge in this game and whoever gets it first could benefit greatly.
Turnovers, as always, will play a huge part and will be vital to the success of the Dolphins in this one.
And the crowd could play a big role in this as well. Let's hope the stadium is packed to capacity and that every fan is getting in on the action to make this as loud and hostile for New England as humanly possible. Something like that could really make things hectic for young Matt Cassel.

How will our running game do in what will most likely be the deciding factor for how our offense performs on Sunday?
Whether it's the Wildcat or the base offense, running the ball will be paramount in the success of the offense in this game. Granted, Chad will need to have an efficient, ball control and smart kind of a game and could possibly even put up some hefty numbers but most know that the success of the running game will most likely be the determining factor on Sunday.

How will Miami's special teams perform in this "playoff like" contest now that it has been made quite clear that this is one of their biggest and most glaring weaknesses?
This one is huge. The special teams and more specifically the kickoff and punt coverage teams have been a glaring weakness in recent times and more or less, all season. This has to change now. Miami can't keep giving teams great field position every time it kicks. It can (and has) come back to bite them and in a game of this magnitude, these hidden yards could very well be the difference between a win and a loss. Coach Sparano has tried a lot of things to try and get things improved and has cut and signed several players to try and accomplish this. He hasn't seen much improvement yet but you can be certain that he'll be adament that this facet of the game be taken very seriously and dealt with or the team will pay the price and learn it the hard way (as they have already in several games).
This certainly will be an important storyline to watch within the game on Sunday.

Will Wes Welker have a big impact in a game that he will most likely have the most receptions for his team?
Here's a guy who is the consumate posession/slot/3rd down/clutch receiver and if he's not on this team, New England likely wouldn't have done what they did last year. He's unstoppable. You can control him...a bit but that's about all. He will definitely get his share of balls thrown his way and make a few first downs and maybe a few big plays but it will be imperative that Miami's defense doesn't let him rack up serious yardage/receptions and open things up for the likes of Randy Moss. He's having another great season and that very well could continue on Sunday but to what extent? This will be very important.

Who will be this week's star on offense as it appears that from week to week a different guy seems to be the one who steps it up and has a big game?
Isn't it great what this team has been able to do with the players it came into this season with? Outside of Brown and maybe Porter, there really isn't a bunch of star players on this team, at least in the eyes of most of the public...but it seems that almost every week a different player is stepping up to make a big impact in the game and help the team to succeed. This is great and very important to a team of this makeup. Without all the flashy star players and someone to really rely on to make the big plays week in and week out, it's beneficial that a new guy every week can be in the spotlight so to speak and really make some big plays to help this team win. It's happened over and over again this season and is always exciting to see who it will be week after week.
So with that being said...who's it gonna be this week??

My money's on a solid *team* effort with production from all positions and units to put together a masterpiece of a game and really step up in the football world as a true contender and a team to be reckoned with!

This game very well could be the make or break point of this improbable turn-a-round rebuilding year for these Dolphins and what better way to put them to the test against a hated rival, at home on Sunday under the sun in a match for what could be one of the final playoff spots in the conference.

GO FINS!!

On A Fine Line

dolphinsfan4life — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:42:10 -0000

In browsing through a few articles on some of the major sports/nfl sites I came across this one on nfl.com.

It's basically an article about the "playoff picture" in the AFC and a breakdown of team by team that is currently in that picture. It sorts them into three categories - The Lock, In Good Standing and On a Fine Line.

Miami is listed as the first team that is "On a Fine Line" and here is the paragraph about them:

On a fine line

Miami (6-4, tied for second AFC East): The Wildcats are looking like a wild card. Miami has just two remaining home games, none being more crucial than Sunday's matchup against New England. A Dolphins victory and season sweep, would actually give them a two-game edge over the Patriots (6-4) because of the tie-breaker. Efficient quarterback Chad Pennington, the two-headed tailback tandem of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown and a defense that hasn't allowed more than 19 points in any of its past four games signals Miami could be built for more than just getting into postseason play. From one win in 2007 to possibly at least one win in the playoffs. It could happen.
************

Very interesting and once again rests on the magnitude of this weekend's matchup. What I like to hear is the end where he states that Miami could be built for more then "just" getting into the playoffs! That's right..they're built to go on a playoff RUN and to continue this improbable season.

The title pretty much says it all though...it is true; as much as this team is doing and as far as they've come, there is a "fine line" between making that incredible playoff push and being just a "good story" of the season that made a valiant effort to make history... and it all really starts with this Sunday. tick, tick, tick.....

Predictions Anyone?

dolphinsfan4life — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:06:44 -0000

Well, it's only a few days away to the biggest game this team has seen in years and a lot has been discussed and posted leading up to it. We all know what this means to Miami and to this season and what the keys are to winning this all important divisional game.

Now it's time for some predictions...and preferrably, some realistic ones. I know, many will say 50-0 with Ronnie running for 250/3td, CP10 at 400/3td and Porter with a gazillion sacks, etc, etc...and as much as you and I both would love for that to happen, this isn't Alice in Wonderland...

So let's get some serious predictions for the possible outcome of the game and what some of the key players/stats might be. Maybe even a quick scenario of how you might think it'll play out....I'm sure this should get interesting!
And afterwards we can check back to see who's got the crystal ball, so to speak.

Belows is also a quick poll for the final score winner by spread:

Poll

The final score will be?...

Miami by 7 or less

25 votes

Miami by 7+

16 votes

N.E. by 7 or less

4 votes

N.E. by 7+

1 votes

46 votes | Poll has closed