SBNation.com User Blog: el presidente 00

A Different Look on Potential Sun-Life Stadium Renovations

el presidente 00 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:09:56 -0000

Sure, a Super Bowl coming to Miami would be great. One that has the Miami Dolphins playing in it would be even better. A mega-event like the Super Bowl is guaranteed to harness national attention and pride within the city of Miami. But, both those thing are hard to measure.

First, let’s look at what it supposedly will take for a Super Bowl to return to Miami: according to the Craig Davis article, $200 million from owner Steve Ross along with another $375-400 million from the public. For our sake, let’s assume the public will fund $400 million for the stadium upgrades.

How do we measure pride in the city of Miami? Well, if having a Super Bowl truly means something to the Miami-Dade citizens, it will only take about $156 per person. That is—if every person gains some utility from having a Super Bowl or National Championship in Miami, it will only cost each person the $156. A number that could be allocated over time, perhaps (think $156 over 10 years and what a deal we have!).

The problem is that for every die-hard Miami-Dade football fan, there is probably an equal or greater population that does not give a damn about a football game in Miami. You even have to question if an average football fan or average household is willing to fund $156 dollars for this. They may easily wish to spend their money elsewhere. Children, too, who are accounted for in population records, certainly won’t have the money to pay for this. The burden, then, on a per-person basis, is even greater than $156.

So… Miami’s stadium renovations seem to be off to a rough start. Let’s see how the national attention of mega-events can help the city.

Hotels have already increased their bed tax one cent. A step in the right direction.

The Marlins are about as popular as a Little League team right now, and the public funded the majority of the $600+ million new stadium. The public probably doesn’t want to be duped again. Not this soon.

So, we must ask, if the renovations will bring in Super Bowls and mega-events, then this will be a good investment, right? The public won’t face such a burden, right?

Super Bowls and mega-events attract a national crowd, instead of just locals for typical Dolphins games. This means new people coming in to the city. But, does this mean economic benefit for the city?

In a situation with a Super Bowl, say, people will travel from across the country to Miami to watch the game. This creates different spending behavior from locals, for they likely leave the city to avoid the commotion of the tourists for the game, or at least avoid popular destinations that these tourists could take over. Bottom line: locals must redirect their money from normal expenditures because of the influx of tourists within the area.

Furthermore, with a mega-event bringing in many tourists under the national spotlight, the city itself must spend money to accommodate for the game itself, but also must increase security. Don’t assume a Super Bowl is all-profitable when the city itself endures expenditures to prepare for the game itself.

Hotels, amongst other businesses, jack up prices, which motivates tourists to seek a cheaper hotel outside the city or county. Broward County is not being asked to pay for the stadium upgrades. If a tourist for the game stays in Broward County, this creates an obvious economic leakage.

Miami is already a tourist attraction. How does one separate the money from tourism not associated with a Super Bowl? The revenue from Super Bowl games is distributed throughout the league, is it not? What does a $1,000 ticket have to do with Miami’s economy? Nothing.

What happens the day after the Super Bowl? Do the increased number of security guards for the event maintain their positions? These are all economic factors that are not equated into hosting a Super Bowl or mega-event. There is no certain way to measure the impact. The public could be paying $400 million for an event that drives them away from the city because of its commotion, or for a leakage that arises when tourists go to the game but stay in a neighboring area.

The public is paying for something that is bigger than them. Super Bowls aren’t for the citizens of Miami, they’re for the entire nation. Sure, Mr. Ross makes it sound like it’s a delightful and obvious investment, but what happens to the security guard who was hired specifically for the Super Bowl? Where does he go? Does he reap any of the reported billion dollar economic gains? Probably not, but he did probably pay for it.

FOLLOW!

@el_peezy_00

So… Miami’s stadium renovations seem to be off to a rough start. Let’s see how the national attention of mega-events can help the city.

Hotels have already increased their bed tax one cent. A step in the right direction.

So, we must ask, if the renovations will bring in Super Bowls and mega-events, then this will be a good investment, right? The public won’t face such a burden, right?

FOLLOW!

@el_peezy_00

Why Miami Must Keep Reggie Bush

el presidente 00 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:57:45 -0000

If the Dolphins keep being the Dolphins of the past… we’re exactly on track for the subpar football some call mediocrity—others call annual disappointment. Whatever you call it, we all can agree is not working.

Sooner or later it will be time to address free agents. I just want to focus on one free agent on the Dolphins in particular—at that’s Reggie Bush.

Let’s approach this from a business side. We see the games where Sunlife Stadium is practically empty. I find it very hard for anyone to say Miami isn’t a great option to play for—it is South Beach and SHOULD be treated as a major market for sports. It’s not like we’re Jacksonville or Buffalo, playing in a small market. The stadium should be a place to be on Sundays whether we’re playing Seattle or playing the Patriots.

Reggie Bush is a brand as much as he is a player. He is a celebrity in the sports world, which only a few players really are. The spotlight for Reggie was born at USC and followed him as he went #2 overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. He didn’t live up to the hype in New Orleans, but started to get his swagger back when he came to Miami last year. Players like Reggie come with a higher price tag despite their performance on the field.

If the Dolphins were to let Reggie go and test the free agent market, they would be losing Reggie’s brand as well as his skill. Fans know Reggie more than Daniel Thomas. That’s just how it works.

If the Dolphins were to let Reggie go, they would have to stick with Thomas and Lamar Miller—and what a typical Dolphins move this would be. Running back would become a question mark on the team’s growing list of needs. None of us know the potential of Thomas and Miller right now. We know what Reggie can do and what he is capable of.

If we lost Reggie to free agency, this further spells “rebuilding”. If Alfred Morris, Doug Martin, and Trent Richardson can take over as rookies, where has Daniel Thomas been? Still learning the system… Still only a third down back… Still rebuilding…

But, who says we need a star as our running back? Sales. This is a business as much as it is a sport. People pay for Reggie Bush jerseys and his name can influence ticket sales more than most players on the Miami roster. He is a decent running back, too.

If Miami is solid at a position, then they need to keep it that way. Stop giving away players, like Wes Welker, for draft picks. That’s a rebuilding mindset.

But, didn’t we try that with Brandon Marshall? Yes we did, but we never surrounded him with the proper weapons. He also had some attitude problems, but I regress…

We are now loaded with draft picks, especially from the Vontae Davis trade. It would be so Miami to draft away and rebuild. Mediocrity ensues. Let’s get players we need that put Miami in the spotlight. Let’s trade those draft picks to get to the chase to see if Ryan Tannehill is the future or not.

If we keep Reggie Bush, we are on the right track to find out. If we keep him, we are set at running back and have a guy on the team who influences team sales. Say we go out and acquire a wide receiver through free agency... suddenly; our offense has some spark to it on the field and in the seats.

Miami needs to keep players who matter from both the business-side and football-side of the industry. Signing Reggie Bush to another 2-year deal, worth about $10-12 million total is a fine signing as long as we also sign wide receivers to help the offensive cause. We know Reggie Bush isn’t the long-term solution. But he can help get our feet off the ground for the future. He puts people in the seats at Sunlife and make Miami an attractive place for free agents.

Miami has been developing players and rebuilding for too long. But for Reggie: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Miami needs to stop building players, get people to the stadium on Sundays, and put together a winning team.

Sooner or later it will be time to address free agents. I just want to focus on one free agent on the Dolphins in particular—at that’s Reggie Bush.

If the Dolphins were to let Reggie go and test the free agent market, they would be losing Reggie’s brand as well as his skill. Fans know Reggie more than Daniel Thomas. That’s just how it works.

If Miami is solid at a position, then they need to keep it that way. Stop giving away players, like Wes Welker, for draft picks. That’s a rebuilding mindset.

But, didn’t we try that with Brandon Marshall? Yes we did, but we never surrounded him with the proper weapons. He also had some attitude problems, but I regress…

The State of the NFL

el presidente 00 — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:43:39 -0000

Despite yielding 256 regular season games (a total Major League Baseball surpasses after a few weeks), the NFL generates the most revenue out of all major professional sports in the US. The multi-billion dollar industry is facing perhaps its most criticized season ever, due to the replacement referees.

It’s been a trend that has been ruining the NFL brand since the preseason. Players, analysts, and the coaches have spoken about the issue. But, the NFL, as a business, is failing to reach its consumer fan base when addressing the issue of replacement refs. This is the ultimate goal of a business: produce a quality product for the consumer. And this, essentially, is the NFL damaging the NFL.

What goes into a quality product of the NFL is some formula of players, salary caps, owners, game events, stadiums, promotions, amongst possibly hundreds of other factors. The outcome of the product is why fans continue to go to games and why television broadcasts are reaching billion dollar deals. Sundays, for the sports fan, are designated for football—and football only. Kids know to get their homework done before the 1 o’clock game and adults know to mow the lawn Saturday so Sunday is free.

The referees are something that greatly impacts the product of the NFL. Maybe last year this was not obvious, but this year it certainly is. Roger Goodell has failed to deliver the NFL product that consumers want. The referees have distracted fans (as consumers) from the game. The referee issue goes beyond the Saints winless start, or annual power teams like the Patriots and Packers going 1-2 (I believe this is actually good for the league in general). The issue is that the NFL has decided to cheapen its product, while the profits of the NFL are increasing. According to Mike Ozanian of Forbes SportsMoney, the NFL could earn an extra $1 billion in extra revenues through the Thursday package (http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2012/09/21/nfl-could-get-1-billion-a-year-for-thursday-package/).

Though I am personally against adding a Thursday game to every week of the NFL season, as long as it brings in money, it will most likely stay implemented. The Thursday game can be unfair to teams travelling, but its ultimate weakness is that the players will be much more injured and bruised by the last quarter of the season that the beginning weeks. We have not seen the true representation of an extra billion dollars in the league yet. I forecast, however, that injuries will increase even more in weeks 13-17 than ever before because of the shortened recovery time for players.

But again, we must ask, what is the product Goodell is trying to deliver? Are driving revenues worth the criticisms that follow the replacement referees? Or on a lesser note, is a Thursday night game asking too much for a fan, at the expense of the players? If the replacement refs haven’t justified the value of the actual NFL refs, than the NFL must re-evaluate its goals in producing a quality product to consumers. The referees shouldn’t be the discussion at the end of games, nor should the league be making an estimated $1 billion and remain holding out one of the biggest components of the NFL product. The consumers, not the NFL, need their refs back now more than ever.

Matt Moore, a Top QB According to Forbes

el presidente 00 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 02:37:35 -0000

Matt Moore, a Top QB According to Forbes

Possibly a misleading title.
Possibly evidence that supports keeping Moore as a backup.
Possibly something to pass time for you.
You pick.

My Day in Tweets

el presidente 00 — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 18:25:01 -0000

Coming from Patriot territory, the way I stay in touch with the Dolphins is through the social media empire Twitter. Since I can't be at the stadium watching scrimmages and practices, I rely on Dolphins beat writers, reporters, and players. Since I can't talk to all of you directly, I decided to post about what I see on Twitter with you all. And since not everyone has Twitter or can attend these practices, I hope this gives light to what goes on a daily grind in Dolphin land. A quick and easy read, I give you...

Adam Beasley @AdamHBeasley

Announced crowd today: 8,721.

What I say: start showing up—you might get to be on Hard Knocks picking your nose in the background! Better than the estimated 3,000 figure that some were tweeting earlier on in the day.

Armando Salguero @ArmandoSalguero

Ryan Tannehill's unofficial stats: 10 of 13 for 114 yards and 1 TD.

What I say: Even though its against 2nd defense, those are solid stats… completed 7 in a row at one point. Encouraging nonetheless. Also good to hear Anthony Fasano grab a pair of TDs in today's scrimmage-- TE arguably the most evolving position in the game; can be AND should be HUGE in the Red Zone in this offense.

XFINITY Sports ‏@XFINITYSports

@MiamiDolphins fans erupt after @ryantannehill1 throws the lone TD today so far. Dare I say it, but the kid has some Phillip Rivers in him

What I say: Better this than hearing fans erupt with “We Want Orton!” a year ago.

Omar Kelly ‏@OmarKelly

I'm very impressed with Ryan Tannehill's drive right now. He looks amazing from an accuracy standpoint when he's on the move.

What I say: Still not sure how to work with Omar’s tweets, but an observation I think we should all like seeing. Of course, consistency over time will only validate this. One good scrimmage for the rook is great, but continuing to "look amazing" with these throws needs to be a consistent thing as we learn more about Tannehill.

Jesse Agler ‏@finsjesse

Brandon Fields so good. Punt bounces dead inside 5. About a 61-yd punt.

What I say: Yay! Let’s punt!

OMAR KELLY TWEET OF THE DAY

Omar Kelly ‏@OmarKelly

RT @becker1313: dam O, how do u deal wit retards all day and keep sane?» You're assuming I'm sane. Blocking & pimp slapping helps.

What I say: …oh.

Importance of a Passing Game

el presidente 00 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:20:32 -0000

In conclusion of the 2011 NFL season, championed by the New York Giants, it’s already time to start looking forward to free agency and April’s draft. For the Miami Dolphins, the most prominent need is clearly in the quarterback position—a position that hasn’t been relieved since Dan Marino’s retiring in the late 1990’s. The NFL has been doing its own shifting over time, where many have dubbed the league “quarterback friendly” and a “pass first league”. South Beach has tried to find its own gem to fit the NFL model of pass-friendly. Through trial and error, Miami finds itself in this postseason in search of a new quarterback again… except this time; it can make a huge splash into the 2012 season.

But, is there validity behind these quarterback friendly claims in the NFL? Can Miami benefit from following this league trend?

Statistically, the 2011 season was highlighted by Drew Brees’ record-breaking season, which he compiled the most passing yards in league history. Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford both went over the 5000-yard mark as well. It was a year that clearly showed one thing in my eyes: if you want to win, you must win through the air. On average, the top twelve quarterbacks in the 2011 season threw for nearly 500 more yards than the 2010 average. Of those quarterbacks, Tom Brady (2nd most yards in 2011) and Eli Manning (4th most yards in 2011) clashed in the Super Bowl.

Maurice Jones-Drew, who led the NFL with 1606 yards, headlined a five-win team that watched Brady and Manning duel in Indianapolis.

Also worth noting, Matt Schaub, 2009’s leading passer and 2010’s 4th gunner, missed the majority of the 2011 season. Based on statistics, his 4000+ yards would further increase the league average.

However, “what if’s” have been all too familiar with the Miami Dolphins recently. “What if we never drafted Ted Ginn?” “What if we took Matt Ryan over Jake Long?” “What if Drew Brees became a Dolphin instead a Saint?” What if…

Well, what if the NFL is in fact a passing league? Out of the final four teams, Baltimore and San Francisco I consider to be running teams, and New York and New England to be passing teams. However, Baltimore and San Francisco are certainly defense-based, and would most likely win through a defensive stop than on 90+ yard drives. Alex Smith, though, certainly made an exception for that statement when he marched down on Drew Brees and pulled a trip to the NFC Championships.

Let’s get down to the point. Take a look at the two charts that highlight the top 12 rushers and passers over the past 3 seasons:

Passing 2011

Passing 2010

Passing 2009

Brees

5476

Rivers

4710

Schaub

4770

Brady

5235

P. Manning

4700

P. Manning

4500

Stafford

5038

Brees

4620

Romo

4483

E. Manning

4933

Schaub

4370

Rodgers

4434

Rodgers

4643

E. Manning

4002

Brady

4398

Rivers

4624

Palmer

3970

Brees

4388

Romo

4184

Rodgers

3922

Roethlisberger

4328

Ryan

4177

Brady

3900

Rivers

4254

Roethlisberger

4077

Ryan

3705

Favre

4202

Newton

4051

Orton

3653

E. Manning

4021

Fitzpatrick

3832

Flacco

3622

Orton

3802

Flacco

3610

Bradford

3512

Warner

3753

Average

4490

Average

4057.17

Average

4277.75

St. Dev.

589.87

St. Dev.

435.017

St. Dev.

295.62

Rushing 2011

Rushing 2010

Rushing 2009

Jones-Drews

1606

Foster

1616

Johnson

2006

Rice

1364

Charles

1467

Jackson

1416

Turner

1340

Turner

1371

Jones

1402

McCoy

1309

Johnson

1364

Jones-Drew

1391

Foster

1224

Jones-Drew

1324

Peterson

1383

Gore

1211

Peterson

1298

Rice

1339

Lynch

1204

Mendenhall

1273

Grant

1253

McGahee

1199

Jackson

1241

Benson

1251

Jackson

1145

Bradshaw

1235

Stewart

1133

Mathews

1091

Rice

1220

R. Williams

1121

Bush

1086

Hillis

1177

Charles

1120

Benson

1067

McFadden

1157

Gore

1120

Average

1237

Average

1311.92

Average

1327.92

St. Dev.

151.64

St. Dev.

130.09

St. Dev.

244.76

A basic observation is that the running game has in fact diminished amongst the league’s best over the past 3 seasons. Conversely, the passing game hasn’t seen such high numbers ever.

In the lists above, in 2009, 5 running backs went to the playoffs. In 2009, 8 quarterbacks went dancing.

2010: 4 running backs to 6 quarterbacks

2011: 6 running backs to 8 quarterbacks

There is certainly a correlation between a diminishing running game and a rising throwing game. This past 2011 season had the 5 top yardage quarterbacks all go dancing in the playoffs. Yards don’t necessarily guarantee wins, either. Though numbers suggest they certainly put you in a healthy situation to be in playoff contention. When taking the top 2 quarterbacks from each of the 3 seasons, 4 out of 6 made the playoffs. When taking the top 2 running backs from each of the 3 seasons, only 2 of the 6 made the playoffs. To me, it’s every team’s vision to be in the postseason come the end of the regular season.

I’m not stating Miami needs to address the quarterback position, we all know this by now. What I hope this post shows to you is how crucial it is to have a quarterback in a league that supports the throwing game. Statistics are not everything that matters, but they do carry significant weight that can’t go ignored. Of course, other factors need to be considered when evaluating teams, but the QB position is the cornerstone of any offense moving forward.

For Miami to adapt to this league for once and for all, it is crucial to seek a long-term solution. Though Reggie Bush’s accomplishments for Miami were a great sight, it was not enough. The two-headed monster of Ricky and Ronnie are gone. The Detroit Lions weren’t resurrected on the ground, and neither will Miami.

Miami vs New England Patriots Pregame Thoughts

el presidente 00 — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:54:06 -0000

Buffalo puts up 41 points and get a W... New York Jets slide into a comeback victory over Dallas... Now, Miami needs some magic of their own to face the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the 2011 NFL season. The loser of this game starts Week 2 in last, although that's still too early too truly matter, it's a position Miami can't get used to-- as too much is on the line for this brink season. When I say brink season I mean Miami can be a playoff contender come January, or could be interviewing for a new head coach and new quarterback amongst others. I can see the Dolphins going 10-6 this year or 6-10. It all depends on how Chad Henne delivers in tonights game. Here's some quick things that will draw my particular interest during tonights game:

1. Mike Pouncey The rookie faces a true test as a first round pick going against giants Vince Wilfork and Albert Haynesworth. How do you prove you're ready for NFL action? Go up and against the best in the league and battle them. Miami's O-Line was shaky all preseason, leaving many doubting its form for this game. Perennial Pro Bowler Jake Long, who missed the entire preseason, will certainly add comfort to that line, but a tough Patriots D-Line will test any team.

2. Reggie Bush We've seen the Wild Cat unleashed against New England in 2008. Now it's time to unleash a new weapon in South Beach. With the addition of Reggie Bush, Chad Henne can take a big load off of his shoulders if he can use Reggie Bush properly. Bush was just flashy in New Orleans, failing to live up to his Heisman (sort of) years at USC, masked behing injury after injury. Now, a motivated Reggie Bush leads a Miami running attack replacing Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Bush needs to be utilized between tackles, where he can use his speed to burst out into the secondary. I feel like the New England front is solid, but with Brandon Meriwether gone, the Patriots aren't as strogn as years past may have indicated. For Reggie, it's about staying healthy and creating an unbalanced field where Miami can thrive.

3. Chad Ochocinco I don't feel like the addition of Chad Ochocinco in New England was as big as the media played it out to be. However, 85 can still play at a level where he can thrive as a Patriot, where the ball will find you if you get open for a split second with Tom Brady as a cannon. With that being said, I don't believe 85 can perform as a number one receiver anymore. Luckily, in New England's system, last year showed you don't need a number one to win games. 85 had a weak preseason, and his entire Patriots tenure this far has been rather quiet. Whether that's the Patriot way or the decline of Ochocinco, we'll get a preview tonight. Ochocinco has always been a Miami guy, and at one point in his career made a video asking for Bill Parcells (who worked for Miami at the time) to reach out to him. I believe 85 will get 45 yards on 4 catches tonight. I like Miami's corners in this match-up, but still am excited to see how New England will use 85.

4. Brian Daboll Weird for anyone to mention a coach, but this is the first game under the Daboll era in Miami. I can't help but recall when the Cleveland Browns of all teams beat the Patriots, one of their only two losses on the entire 2010 season. Daboll, although worked with an underachieving Browns team, generally works a run-first offense, which can complement the inconsistencies of Chad Henne. If the run game is working and the offensive line comes ready to play, Chad Henne, who had an impressive preseason, will continue to gain momentum. (Henne has always raher done well in divisional play...). However, the real duty of Daboll and the entire coaching staff is to bring back a winning record at home. Home games and Monday night games are special things in the league that must be taken as gold.

With that aside, let's go Miami!

http://inphinitesports.blogspot.com/2011/09/miami-vs-new-england-patriots-pregame.html

With that aside, let's go Miami!

http://inphinitesports.blogspot.com/2011/09/miami-vs-new-england-patriots-pregame.html

What Do We Look For In a Quarterback?

el presidente 00 — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 02:34:24 -0000

I can confidently assume that most of you, like myself, are frustrated and confused with the offseason our Dolphins are having. Sure, Reggie Bush was a nice addition based on his preseason debut—but the quarterback position has the always-credible Mike & Mike landing us at 3 to 4 wins this year. Though I really don’t care what they think about Miami, I do care about what we look for in a quarterback… especially Chad Henne, since the front office decided to stick with him, passing up on Kyle Orton amongst others.

So, what exactly do we look for in a quarterback? What can Chad Henne do to make us content?

Let’s start with stats. Since this is a “pass dominant league”, check the stats of the quarterbacks who won the Super Bowl the past three seasons (amount of years Henne has been in the league):

2009: Ben Roethlisberger

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

281/469 59.9 3,301 7.0 17 15 80.1

2010: Drew Brees

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

363/514 70.6 4,388 8.5 34 11 109.6

2011: Aaron Rodgers

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

312/475 65.7 3,922 8.3 28 11 101.2

Based on these statistics, keeping turnovers to a minimum us a must. Roethlisberger plays a much different style than Brees and Rodgers at the position, but thrives in the clutch—another characteristic of a QB. What does Chad Henne have any business being mentioned in this group? He doesn’t. Because I don’t believe he has to be like Brees and Rodgers to make us happy. If Chad could pull off a 2008 season such as Big Ben (also ran for 2 TDs and worth mentioning 7 lost fumbles), where the touchdown to interception ratio is as close as 17:15 (in hopes it will be better) and a 3,500+ yard season, I will be content with our quarterback play. Henne’s play is much different than any of these QBs mentioned, but statistically, he can relate to the 2009 Super Bowl Champion in Roethlisberger. To do so, his 2011 stat line:

2010: Chad Henne

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

301/490 61.4 3,301 6.7 15 19 75.4

must be flipped TD:INT. Take a look at those exact 3 quarterbacks in their third year with actual playing time:

Ben Roethlisberger:

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

280/469 59.7 3,513 7.5 18 23 75.4

Drew Brees:

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

205/356 57.6 2,108 5.9 11 15 67.5

Aaron Rodgers: Super Bowl stats above

I don’t intend to make excuses for Henne. But Aaron Rodgers had been mentored by one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game in Brett Favre. He most definitely should shine like he has. Besides Rodgers, Henne is in the same ballpark as Big Ben and Drew Brees entering their fourth season. Both threw more INTs than TDs, neither achieved greater than 60.0 completion %. They were the Chad Henne of yesterday.

So, when we look at statistics to find what we want as a quarterback, Chad in my eyes, is six or seven TDs and 2 INTs away from being okay. And okay is okay for us, because I still believe the Miami Dolphins are a better running team. IF Henne collects 20 TDs and 15 INTs this season, that’s playoffs.

Now let’s look at the most important thing in all of football: winning. Of course, stats are nice, but one reason Kyle Orton was benched last year despite a solid statistical season is because he wasn’t winning. One reason Big Ben wins a Super Bowl with no stat close to his successors is because he is a winner. Mark Sanchez… hate to say it, but he’s a gamer with the help of a great defense. Chad Henne… what exactly is he?

Henne needs to prove he can win. A guy like Tony Romo… great quarterback, but not a winner. It’s the hardest thing to find in this league. Jay Cutler is another good quarterback who has never been known as a winner. I know a win is a win, but getting that W is a hard thing to accomplish. We brought in Brandon Marshall, Reggie Bush, and developed Devone Bess as weapons for Chad Henne to get the close loses on the flip column. It’s Henne’s season to destroy, and only his. With the pressure on him this year, he has the tools to make a playoff run if he can find his identity as a winning quarterback in the tight 50/50 games.

So what do you look for in a quarterback to make Chad Henne accepted? What kind of season must he have? A David Garrard-like season where he is nothing flashy but mediocre? (I believe a mediocre Chad Henne wins us 9 to 10 games). A gamer like Joe Flacco, Big Ben, and Mark Sanchez? Or A Matt Schaub-like quarterback where numbers get you wins?

To me, the answer is Chad Henne must play within himself. He has to set the tone for the offense, and not create turnovers by trying to do too much. He needs to go at his pace, allowing the turnovers to decrease. Of course, his pace maybe be relatively slow, but he doesn’t need to be a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan, or Big Ben. Chad Henne needs to become a kindergartner and play smart and safe, like how Chad Pennington played in the 11-5 season, which did not tolerate turnovers. Henne must become a manager in the game and he will succeed.

Peezy Out.

So, what exactly do we look for in a quarterback? What can Chad Henne do to make us content?

Let’s start with stats. Since this is a “pass dominant league”, check the stats of the quarterbacks who won the Super Bowl the past three seasons (amount of years Henne has been in the league):

2009: Ben Roethlisberger

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

281/469 59.9 3,301 7.0 17 15 80.1

2010: Drew Brees

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

363/514 70.6 4,388 8.5 34 11 109.6

2011: Aaron Rodgers

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

312/475 65.7 3,922 8.3 28 11 101.2

2010: Chad Henne

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

301/490 61.4 3,301 6.7 15 19 75.4

must be flipped TD:INT. Take a look at those exact 3 quarterbacks in their third year with actual playing time:

Ben Roethlisberger:

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

280/469 59.7 3,513 7.5 18 23 75.4

Drew Brees:

Comp/Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rate

205/356 57.6 2,108 5.9 11 15 67.5

Aaron Rodgers: Super Bowl stats above

Peezy Out.

Undefeated/ First Place Thread

el presidente 00 — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:57:31 -0000

2-0 Ladies and Gentlemen, talk it up!

CKC perhaps, as well. why not? How great is it to have football back in our lives and celebrate it in a winning fashion?!

To Cameron Wake, Karlos Dansby (goal line stop = reason why we got you), and Vontae Davis.... we salute you

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

2-0 Ladies and Gentlemen, talk it up!

CKC perhaps, as well. why not? How great is it to have football back in our lives and celebrate it in a winning fashion?!

To Cameron Wake, Karlos Dansby (goal line stop = reason why we got you), and Vontae Davis.... we salute you

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Off-Season

el presidente 00 — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:21:43 -0000

I’m baaaaack! Although I never really went anywhere. Took a Phinsider vacation for the most part. But let’s get on with our lives, shall we?! With not much going on in the NFL right now, I decided to bring back the Good, the Bad, the Ugly post that got some love when I recapped the 09 season. So to recap the off-season this far, I give you all…..

The Good: The Front Office

Brandon Marshall. Karlos Dansby. Mike Nolan. Miami made a lot of noise this off season in the midst of a mediocre/ reasonable 2009 season. After 2009 one thing was clear… we are competitors for sure, but we are just missing a few key parts. And, boy, did our Front Office respond. Beefing up our line backing corps was highlighted with the addition of former Arizona Cardinals stud Karlos Dansby, who has achieved 100+ tackles in the past two seasons. His addition hopes to not only make an immediate impact on the defense, but also give Channing Crowder some comfort. When it’s all said and done, this was an outstanding upgrade for a team who, at often times, was a few steps behind from stopping a key catch or run.

With Karlos Dansby comes Mike Nolan. How much value does this guy truly have? After splitting ways with Denver, Nolan committed to the Miami Dolphins just one day after. And why not? In Denver’s first six games, the defensive unit allowed just 66 points en route to a 6-0 start. As fans, we all saw how often the Dolphins got beat through the air. Luckily, for us, Nolan commanded the 3rd least yards per game through the air with just over 186 yards per game. Also, Nolan runs a hybrid defense, which brings excitement to the defensive side of the ball for us. The Front Office picked Jared Odrick in the first round to add to this type of defense. Us Fin Fans have a lot to look forward to this year with the new maestro on defense.

And the fan’s favorite—Brandon Marshall. So many people were on the fence about getting this guy, but trust me—once we all read on our ESPN Bottomline that he agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins, we were all ecstatic. This makes Miami one of the toughest offenses in the league. Sure, we’re still developing, but look what Chad Henne accomplished with a mediocre receiving corps last season. He had no go-to guy, but was ending the year throwing over 300 yards multiple times. Now with a true number one receiver, the Dolphins look like they’re showing all the right signs of becoming a serious contender for the Super Bowl in a few years. I don’t need to get into statistics for this guy, but I’m going to anyway. Over 100+ receptions and over 1100+ yards in each of the past three seasons? Tell me the last time any Dolphins receiver came remotely close to that consistency and dominance this millennium.

To Our Front Office--- we believe in you more than ever. And what a great off season we shared. We even got Richie Incognito—a player I personally can’t wait to watch.

Honorable Mention: The premier of Run Ricky Run, a great viewing that showed the life of Ricky Williams, and how his life has totally turned around for the better.

The Bad: Jason Taylor

After spending 12 years in your 13 full NFL season career with the Miami Dolphins, it’s safe to say that your doing something right to the organization, city, fans, everything Miami related. Now, in Taylor’s 14th season, he ships ways to the biggest, most hated rival of the Dolphins and heads to the Jets. Is this bad? Not really, he’s way past his prime in terms of productivity. But, this is bad in the sense that he’s closing his career (perhaps) with a team he’s hated and disguised for so long with Miami. Will fans hate him for this? Not necessarily, we shouldn’t even forget what he did for us here in Miami, but as long as he’s wearing a Jets uniform, we have to think to ourselves that this is not the way to do it, Jason. He was a hometown favorite turned rival over night. It appeared he didn’t see eye to eye with Coach Sparano off the bat, but we took him back, only to see him play for the Jets. Like I said, it’s a bad ending—not a bad scenario. After he retires, I’m sure we’ll break out our old JT jerseys on certain Sundays. But—not for now, not as long as he’s wearing the same colors as Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan.

Honorable Mention: Tony McDaniel gets arrested for domestic violence after fighting with his girlfriend. Not cool, dude.

The Ugly: Jeff Ireland vs. Dez Bryant

In the midst of a powerful and historic Miami offseason, GM Jeff Ireland makes headlines for asking draft prospect and Dallas bound receiver Dez Bryant if his mother was a prostitute. Yuck. Not quite the national attention you hope for. Honestly, no one knows the true context the question was asked in. Based on reports, Dez Bryant’s mother supposedly worked for his father, who was a pimp. This little stick of information ignited the fiery question that made the Dolphins’ GM look foolish for the weeks that haunted us in the news. I still don’t understand why the national media would carry out this story for weeks, but it’s over now and mainly forgotten.

Jeff Ireland did apologize, and Dez Bryant looks like he’ll be great for Dallas. Bryant, by the way, did handle the situation with class. In the end, I think this whole ordeal was brought out too far. But for any man to be asked a question that seriously bashes his mother and to stay cool about it, you gotta give him some respect.

Honorable Mention: Why, Marshawn... Why?

Why CJ Spiller is the Solution

el presidente 00 — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:31:52 -0000

I’ll admit—I wasn’t the first to jump on the CJ Spiller Bandwagon. In fact, I tried my hardest to stay off that bandwagon for the longest time. Thinking about replacing Ronnie Brown just doesn’t seem right to me. However, I surprisingly have begun shifting my thoughts towards CJ Spiller. Why? Age!

Let’s take a look at some of the players in Miami who seem to be the foundation for future contenders:

Chad Henne: 24 yrs. old

Jake Long: 24 yrs. old

Sean Smith: 22 yrs. old

Vontae Davis: 21 yrs. old

Davone Bess: 24 yrs. old

Brian Hartline: 23 yrs. old

Now,

Ronnie Brown: 28 yrs. old

Even though Brown is known as a premier back in this league, his age and injuries are certainly hurting his cause. Let’s face it—the times have changed. The Miami Dolphins are a very young and promising football team. We have our share of veteran players like Jason Taylor, Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder, and newly acquired Karlos Dansby to lead a defense that needs help. However, Taylor is past his prime, and the duo of Crowder and Dansby seems to be one of the most exciting inside linebacker team in Miami in a long time. Dansby is 28 years old, like Ronnie, but the fact is—a linebacker and a running back are on two different scales in the NFL. A solid linebacker develops into his prime by his late twenties and early thirties. Running backs need to make immediate impact if they want to survive in this league. With that being said, we have a running back out of Clemson that could make this impact for our Miami Dolphins with the twelfth pick in this years draft.

I believe it was Little Nicky 21 who put out the question a long time ago saying If you could take Chris Johnson at the 12 spot of this years draft, would you do it?

And who wouldn’t right now? Even if we had half a Chris Johnson—we’d be getting a 1,000 yarder. Ronnie Brown’s best season, in terms of yards, was in 2006 when he broke the 1,000 yard mark by just eight yards. The rest of the years were all broken up with injuries and splitting time with Ricky Williams—although Brown enjoyed success two seasons ago. Bottom line is this: Ronnie is approaching that "30 Year Old Wall" that we saw LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook hit so hard these past seasons.

via www.palmbeachpost.com

The problem I see with Ronnie Brown is this. We are a few years away from serious contention. I am extremely optimistic with this team’s direction, lead by a great coaching staff and front office, as well as a great young quarterback in Chad Henne. But, the key is a few years. In a few years, we will be on top the AFC East and one of the best teams in the NFL. We saw the potential this past season in games where we were contenders, but couldn’t seal the deal against the great teams (Colts, Saints to name a few). In a few seasons, we will win those games instead fold at the end. However, in a few seasons, Ronnie Brown will be at the age of thirty+ and Ricky Williams will be retired. So when we expect everything to be "clicking" in a few seasons and we become Super Bowl contenders, Ronnie Brown will be the guy who is struggling—if he isn’t hurt already.

In a passing league, the best fit for our offense at running back is a Chris Johnson meets Reggie Bush type of player. Ronnie can’t give us that when he is over thirty years of age. And Ronnie is my favorite Miami Dolphin. I hate to say it, but he can’t give us the production we want when he has gone through two season ending injuries, and is getting older and older in this league. Plus, as mentioned before, Ronnie has only eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark once.

CJ Spiller is the answer for us. He is the highest ranked running back in this year’s NFL Draft. He is flashy like Reggie Bush and has speed not quite like that of Chris Johnson, but is a player similar to him.

He is 22 years old, as well. If it’s true that we become Super Bowl contenders in a few seasons, check this out.

Chad Henne should be in his prime. If Chad Henne is doing well, then we must predict Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are doing very well. Jake Long will continue being the perennial Pro-Bowler that he is (and will ink a new contract in Miami when he gets to that bridge). Vontae Davis and Sean Smith will be a great cornerback duo, who could be rising to the primes of their careers. Our whole team, in general, will be young and dominant. CJ Spiller will be early in his NFL tenure, but effective like we want. Unlike Ronnie, he’ll be getting better each game, instead of one game closer to retirement (Ronnie, Ricky…).

Imagine the Miami Dolphins in a few seasons becoming Super Bowl contenders, because it is very likely. This draft is crucial to this image, though. We might go for a Nose Tackle, a Safety, possible a Wide Receiver, but I encourage a Running Back to be drafted in the first round. I’m not going to get into the "guts" of every player by posting college statistics for every game because I don’t need to. We know what needs to be addressed for this draft and we know the players who we could or should go after.

We are a young team in the right direction. CJ Spiller would fulfill our offense’s need for the future. Out with the old, in with the new. The same argument can be made for our situation at Nose Tackle.

But, a similar player like Chris Johnson, wouldn’t we all want him on our team? Or even half a Chris Johnson?

via fantastiksports.files.wordpress.com

Leave your thoughts below + thanks for reading.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the '09 Season

el presidente 00 — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:35:09 -0000

In an effort to keep away from notable free agents and the upcoming draft, let’s take a final look back at Miami’s past season. After finishing 7-9 (which, for many, was where they expected the Dolphins to be), there were many good, bad, and… well, ugly things to take out of the season.

Let’s start with the good. If Ronnie Brown’s season-ending injury never occurred, we could put up many different arguments for this spot. Chad Henne, Jake Long, Lousaka Polite, and even Dan Carpenter would be names I would think many would associate with having a good season. But for me, this spot belongs to Ricky Williams.

For most running backs, there is a "thirty year old wall" that most hit—and when I mean hit, they totally deteriorate. Just look at LaDainian Tomlinson, for example. He only piled up 730 yards—the lowest of his career, at no other than the age of thirty. Ricky Williams, 32, posted 1,121 yards with 11 touchdowns, numbers that clearly don’t represent his age. If that’s not convincing enough—think to yourself: What would the Dolphins be like if Ricky Williams played like his age? Nothing against Chad Henne, but Ricky Williams took a big load off young Henne’s shoulders by being one of the best running backs of the league this past season.

What more could we have asked for out of this guy? If you expected Ricky to be this good for Miami in 2009, then you had me beat. Especially after Pro Bowler Ronnie Brown went down, Miami was still able to produce a 1,000 yarder in its back up. Besides a fumble issue, Ricky really stepped it up and showed that even at thirty two years of age, he still has a fight in him.

The bad. Miami’s had several bad cases come their way lately. A few years ago it was Ernest Wilford, who Miami took a try on after taking him out of Jacksonville. And last year, we took a try on Gibril Wilson formerly of the Oakland Raiders. The only time we actually saw Gibril Wilson was on highlight reels on Sportscenter, where a receiver catches a bomb throw and we see the back of Gibril’s jersey ten yards behind. Yup, that was the part of the "best safety tandem" that didn’t work out. I don’t want to hear excuses for Wilson about his switch to Free Safety. Football is football—the objective on defense is all the same. I found myself only a few times this season applauding Gibril Wilson. He did muster 93 tackles and one sack, but no interceptions, and not much after that. For $27.5 million, this guy never got into a rhythm all season. Clearly, a bad investment thus far by Miami. Even googling Wilson-- his images are of him getting beat, like in the picture above!

The ugly—and boy, was it ugly. Although Marshawn Lynch is one beastly ("beast mode"?) dude, the real ugliness came when Miami went to Ralph Wilson Stadium and played their rivals in Buffalo. This was a crucial game for Miami, at the time. Miami was 5-6 prior to the game, and were looking to get over their 0-3 start finally. A road win at Buffalo seemed to be a tough game, yet very winnable. Miami was the better team. At the start, the ugliness began when Ricky Williams drove Miami to its goal line—only to throw it away for an interception.

Ryan Fitzpatrick would later run for a long 31 yard touchdown run—which is inexcusable for quarterback except a Michael Vick type player (which Fitzpatrick is not!). Fitzpatrick ended the day with 70 yards rushing (1 TD) and 246 yards through the air (96 of those yards and a touchdown going to Terrell Owens). Miami got thrashed 14-31 at the end of the day that was supposed to help them out. Chad Henne threw three interceptions, although two were in the final minutes of the game and was just out of desperation. Miami went on to beat the Patriots and the Jaguars in the following weeks—which really made this loss hurt. Instead of being 8-6, Miami was 7-7—which might not seem like it matters, but in this league and in the tight AFC East division, every game is HUGE.

Thanks for reading this post, which I hope will become a regular thing around here from me (game posts, off season highlights, draft day winners/ losers, etc…). And congratulations to all inductees into the Phinsider Hall of Fame!

Dolphins/Jets: Rivalry Only Getting Better

el presidente 00 — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:33:31 -0000

In the days following Valentine’s Day, I figured it would make some sense to talk about the things we hate as Dolphin fans. And my list definitely starts with the New York Jets. The Jets and Dolphins have shared one of the best rivalries in all of football. Once every schedule is released, I know I circle the two games these two AFC East team go at it.

What makes this rivalry so great? As we look into the characteristics of some of other NFL rivalries, we see that the Dolphins/ Jets are one of the best the league has to offer.

The journey analyzing rivalries begins with one that started before either team had played in a single game. And, like you would think, this rivalry lost its fire in no time. Let’s set the stage in 1994. The NFL was expanding its league. One expansions team would go to the AFC, the other to the NFC. The NFC got Carolina to host the new team, and Jacksonville became home to the AFC expansion. Since these teams started off together, it instantly drew attention to one another and how each team will progress. But, what really classifies these two teams in a rivalry is within the logo.

You didn’t really think Jaguars had teal tongues did you? According to rumor, the Jaguars tongue is to represent the Carolina Panther after being devoured by Jacksonville. This is a great start to a rivalry… if only these teams played each other more often. Either way, I look forward to seeing these teams play because of this.

Let’s face it: right now, the Dolphins/ Jets rivalry isn’t the best in the game. After this past season with Brett Favre going to the Vikings, Green Bay / Minnesota had been given an entire new reason to hate each other. Both are playoff teams who are very solid defensively and exciting on offense. Next year, depending of Favre, this rivalry won’t have the same flare as this year.

As of 1996, Baltimore and Pittsburgh have shared a defensive rivalry. Both teams are known for their intense and fierce defenses, and if you like low scoring rivalry games, and then this is for you. The Patriots and Colts have developed a recent rivalry with Manning and Brady going head to head, although the two teams were both in the same division until 2002.

But let’s get to the Dolphins and the Jets. What makes this such a great rivalry?

Close Records: NYJ leads the series 46-42-1, and the past decade (13-7). Miami has won three straight despite that. The 1990’s was a deadlock of 10 wins for each team. Any rivalries with Oakland just don’t have the same meaning anymore.
Common Characteristics: If Rex Ryan is good for anything, he’s definitely good at keeping his enemies close by. By no means has Rex strayed away from this rivalry, as he got into some trash talk with Channing Crowder earlier this year. But, Ryan, like Coach Tony Sparano, is new to the head coaching position in the NFL. Both have enjoyed success thus far in their 3 years combined, and this coaching battle is something that adds to a great rivalry. Quarterbacks Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez are both young in this league as well, and can very easily be the highlight match ups of this rivalry (see Manning vs. Brady, Favre vs. Elway) in the future. Both teams have young stars in the making, something we should be looking forward to in a long rivalry. Youth has already highlighted Miami’s late success against the Jets as Henne and Ted Ginn have been Jet killers this past season.
Very Close Games: Since 2005, every Jets/ Miami games has been decided by less than a touchdown (9 out of 10). And four of these games were within a field goal. No wonder why we hate them… if that’s not great football then I don’t know what is. A rivalry should be close and crazy every time each team is playing—and this clearly is.
Great Future Ahead: As I mentioned in Common Characteristics, both Miami and New York are lead by younger players and coaches in this league. The Jets played in the AFC Championship game this past season and Miami reached the playoffs a year ago. These teams are looking to break the Patriot Wall that has put New England atop the AFC East in seven of the past ten years. The next decade looks to be full of great defense (Jets have advantage right now) for both sides, but also rising offenses (Miami has advantage right now).

We have every right to be in the discussion of best NFL rivalries, especially as of late. The rivalry traces all the way back to Bob Griese and Joe Namath in the late 60’s to early 70’s, and continued through the eighties when Marino throws six touchdowns and over four hundred and forty yards in an overtime loss. Or when Marino surpasses 500 yards, but still lost, or when Marino (again) does a fake spike for the win.

At the end of the day, we let Channing Crowder talk:

^War Of Words Between Ryan And Crowder (via Lakernation024)

Rex Ryan…

via thebiglead.com

Ummm...Go Dolphins

Henne vs. Flacco vs. Ryan

el presidente 00 — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:16:27 -0000

"With the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, quarterback, Boston College."

Several draft choices later…

"With the eighteenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Joe Flacco, quarterback, Delaware."

Commissioner Roger Goodell had said what every Falcon and Raven fan wanted to hear. And why not? According to most scouts, these were the two best quarterbacks in the draft. Miami, at the time had just drafted Jake Long, the beast of the trenches, a choice that clearly indicated the urgent need for an offensive upgrade in South Beach.

By pick fifty six, the third quarterback was drafted. Brian Brohm of Louisville was taken by the Green Bay Packers. On the very next pick, Miami was on the clock. They took Chad Henne from Michigan.

Now, between fifty-seven and three is fifty-four spots (for all you math whizzes), but on Sunday’s, we now can see that fifty-seven is actually much closer to number three than most of us thought. And, let me tell you this… I’m not saying Chad Henne is the best QB out of this draft, but I am here to say that after grabbing a two-time Pro Bowler in Jake Long with the first pick overall, the Dolphins can arguably say that they took the number three pick in the draft, too.

"With the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Matt Ryan, quarterback, Boston College."

Several draft choices later…

"With the eighteenth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select Joe Flacco, quarterback, Delaware."

By pick fifty six, the third quarterback was drafted. Brian Brohm of Louisville was taken by the Green Bay Packers. On the very next pick, Miami was on the clock. They took Chad Henne from Michigan.

Henne is at a disadvantage when being compared to Ryan or Flacco, because he only has one solid year under his belt, and it wasn’t even a full season behind center. Ryan and Flacco have been starters for basically two complete seasons. They deserve credit for being thrown right into the fire and coming out successful. Henne took his rookie year learning from Chad Pennington, as we know, and when it came Henne’s turn to lead the offense, it was evident Henne was properly battle-tested from Pennington’s guidance.

So, the fairest way to look at the three quarterbacks of the 2008 NFL Draft was to break down the statistics to game averages. And remember, Henne doesn’t have the experience as Ryan and Flacco have thus far. Henne was thrown in during blow outs in his rookie year, and statistically didn’t produce because he was put in situations where he couldn’t get into a rhythm. But, nonetheless, Henne caught up to his draft classmates by the end of his second season in the league. Take a look at Henne…

	G	GS	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Sck	SckY	2009 Yds/G
Matt Ryan
2009	14	14	263	451	58.30	2916	6.50	22	14	19	92	208.29
2008	16	16	265	434	61.10	3440	7.90	16	11	17	104
Difference	-2	-2	-2	17	-2.80	-524	-1.40	6	3	2	-12
Totals	30	30	528	885		6356		38	25	36	196
Career Game Averages			17.60	29.50	59.66	211.87		1.27	0.83	1.20	7

Joe Flacco
2009	16	16	315	499	63.10	3613	7.20	21	12	36	218	225.81
2008	16	16	257	428	60.00	2971	6.90	14	12	32	276
Difference	0	0	58	71	3.10	642	0.30	7	0	4	-58
Totals	32	32	572	927		6584		35	24	68	494
Career Game Averages			17.88	28.97	61.70	205.75		1.09	0.75	2.13	15

Chad Henne
2009	14	13	274	451	60.80	2878	6.40	12	14	26	176	205.57
2008	3	0	7	12	58.30	67	5.60	0	0	0	0
Difference	11	13	267	439	2.50	2811	0.80	12	14	26	176
Totals	17	13	281	463		2945	12.00	12	14	26	176
Career Game Averages			16.53	27.24	60.69	173.24		0.71	0.82	1.53	10

NOTE: THIS PART OF THE TABLE WAS LEFT OUT. IT REPRESENTS YARDS/GAME FOR 2009 SEASON. COLORS MATCH WITH QUARTERBACK.

208.29

225.81

205.57

First, if Ryan and Flacco are considered "franchise quarterbacks", then I think we are right on track to finding ours, too. Between these three rising quarterbacks, Henne and the Dolphins were fourth in the run game, followed by a close fifth of Flacco’s Ravens, just thirty one yards behind. With that said, both Henne and Flacco are considered run-first offenses. I consider Atlanta (15th run offense) to be one too, despite Michael Turner going down. However, the thing about Miami is that as the season progressed, the Dolphins went away from the run game and relied on Henne more and more.

Henne notched three 300+ yard passing games in his last five games. If he stayed in against Pittsburgh in the last game, he was just below pace of breaking the 300 yard mark (140 yards at half). Clearly, Henne can get the job done. However, Henne threw for more INT’s than TD’s during this stretch, too. These are something experience will help with.

Flacco—the most successful QB out of these three quarterbacks (playoff wins) really is just flashy. He’s good for a 300+ game, then disappears into the mix of two or more games around 175 yards. For example, Flacco, through weeks 8-14 only got over the 200 yard mark twice, and only recorded four touchdown throws in these seven weeks. Not very good. But, he then exploded for four TD’s and broke the 300 yard mark in week fifteen. So, Flacco is up and down, but finds a way to win. I’d still take Henne at the end of this year over Flacco, although I wish Henne had the 6’6" height like Flacco.

Matt Ryan is probably the most consistent out of the three. But, unlike Miami or Baltimore, Ryan has an elite receiver to throw to in Roddy White and a Hall of Famer in Tony Gonzalez. Considering those targets, I expected more from Ryan this past season, especially in yards per game—because 22 TD’s and 14 INT’s are very solid numbers. Ryan only broke 300 yards once this year, and came against San Francisco. However, Ryan was consistently in the 200’s for yards week in and week out. But, would you settle for consistency even when your team is down? Ryan really hasn’t made any notable big plays in the spot light. Henne cruised down to victory over the Jets in just his second career start. Again, Henne—end of the season—getting over 300 yards against solid teams at the end of the year in his first actual year of playing… with the receivers we have… I like Henne over Ryan, too.

The one thing I want to end on Henne is that he only had 12 TD’s this year. Ryan, in his first season as a starter, only had 16 TD’s, and Flacco had 14. Both threw for over 20 TD’s in their second year as starters. That being said, Henne should shine next season, even if we don’t upgrade at the receiver spot.

I’m convinced we took the first overall pick and the third overall pick of the 2008 Draft.

The last thing I want to mention is our Front Office. It seems like every two seconds someone is posting about a free agent or draft pick. We’ve been throwing around some big time names, too. Boldin, Wilfork, Dansby, and Rolle are three that highlight the talk around The Phinsider this offseason so far. But, how probable is it we pick up free agents like these? Let’s think back to Sparano’s first year. On March 1, the Dolphins signed five players (Justin Smiley, Reggie Torbor, and Randy Starks to name a few). The three players just listed were all signed for five years except Torbor (four years). So clearly, the Front Office was investing in a long term solution. Two days later, Yeremiah Bell re-signed for a one year deal, too. So, bottom line is that anything is possible with this organization if we truly want it. Now, Boldin, Wilfork, and company are certainly on a different scale than those who were signed March 1, 2008—but it doesn’t mean anything. The majority of these years’ free agents are unhappy where they are now. And the sun is always shining in Miami, so let’s take a shot at a few.

The Peezy Ramble: Connecting Success to Miami

el presidente 00 — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:03:14 -0000

Jets. Colts. The final two AFC teams. If you were to tell me at the beginning of the year the Colts would be a final four team, I would’ve believed you. The Jets?! Not so much. But, even though we want to find a way to trash talk the Jets, we must face the facts—they made it, and we didn’t… (Still, we swept them!).

But, oh yeah, this post. Its concept is pretty simple: I take a look at some sort of statistic, and just ramble on about it until it leads to something. So, the title literally is what I’m doing. I’m just connecting a statistic with something else, to another thing, and possibly another.

We’re going to start with the AFC; mainly dealing with the question, how legitimate is this Conference and what makes a team survive in it?

	2009		2008			2007
AFC East	W	L	W	L		W	L	Total +/-
New England Patriots	10	6	11	5		16	0
New York Jets	9	7	9	7		4	12
Miami Dolphins	7	9	11	5		1	15
Buffalo Bills	6	10	7	9		7	9
Totals	32	32	38	26		28	36
+/-	0		12			-8		4

AFC North	W	L	W	L	T	W	L	Total +/-
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	7	12	4		10	6
Cleveland Browns	5	11	4	12		10	6
Cincinnati Bengals	10	6	4	11	1	7	9
Baltimore Ravens	9	7	11	5		5	11
Totals	33	31	31	32	1	32	32
+/-	2		-1			0		1

AFC South	W	L	W	L		W	L	Total +/-
Indianapolis Colts	14	2	12	4		13	3
Houston Texans	9	7	8	8		8	8
Tennessee Titans	8	8	13	3		10	6
Jacksonville Jaguars	7	9	5	11		11	5
Totals	38	26	38	26		42	22
+/-	12		12			20		44

AFC West	W	L	W	L		W	L	Total +/-
San Diego Chargers	13	3	8	8		11	5
Denver Broncos	8	8	8	8		7	9
Oakland Raiders	5	11	5	11		4	12
Kansas City Chiefs	4	12	2	14		4	12
Totals	30	34	23	41		26	38
+/-	-4		-18			-12		-34

If we talk about dominance over the past three seasons, then let’s talk about the AFC South and the Indianapolis Colts. It’s obvious that Peyton Manning is THE guy. I’d take him over any other quarterback in this league with the game on the line. And we saw why when we nearly had the Colts beat this past season. Manning just knows how to win—plain and simple. The Colts have been atop a very successful division for the past three seasons. Every team in the division can win any given Sunday. The combined records of the teams have been all “over .500”, tallying up forty four wins above this .500 mark over the past three seasons. That’s an extremely impressive statistic for all four teams in the AFC South. The South, despite their streak of consistently winning football, has only put out one Super Bowl Champion over the past three years—the Colts in 2007.

The tough AFC North, known for defense, hasn’t had had the same success as the South, but still managed to put out a Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers just a year ago. Over the past three seasons, the North is just one game over .500. It seems that there’s always been one team that has been clearly the best, and then the Cleveland Browns cancel that record out.

However, for the San Diego Chargers, they can thank teams like the Browns who just can’t get the wins rolling. In the AFC West, the Raiders and Chiefs haven’t had a six win year in the past three seasons. Denver has been known for strong starts and weak finishes, especially this past season, but you never know what direction that team is headed with the changes Josh McDaniels has been making. The Chargers are set, and the only team who looks okay for years to come. The division is thirty four games under .500 since 2007. Not exactly what you want to find, unless you’re the Chargers, who have taken advantage of a weak division. However, they still can’t win in the playoffs, so what does it matter?

The AFC East, the division of our beloved Miami Dolphins, has seen change over the past three seasons. Besides Buffalo, every team has made the playoffs at least once. Miami has seen a 1-15 season go to a 11-5 Divisional Champions team. The Patriots have stayed consistent, but we still start to see them unravel into a “good” team besides a “great” team. And this year, as much as we hate the Jets, we see an AFC East representative in the final four remaining teams (even though we wish it was a different team). The fact is, although this division is only four games above the .500 mark since 2007, its becoming one of the best divisions in all of football. The Patriots are no longer the face of the division, as the Jets and Dolphins have gone further than the New Englanders in the past two seasons.

So what would you rather have? A division like the Chargers, and just dominate? Or in a win-heavy division like the Colts? I know I’m happy where we are, because the division is very equal- year in and year out. The title is up for any team every year—especially now more than ever. The South—where the Colts dominate, has teams who really only shoot for Wild Card spots every year. The East and North have teams always in the playoffs, and now, starting to see new divisional leaders.

But what makes the Colts or any AFC team so successful? The answer lies in Peyton Manning, and really Tom Brady—the two best quarterbacks of the past decade. It’s their ability to throw the football that has brought them success. Look at the successful AFC South. Houston has Matt Schaub, Jacksonville has David Garrard, Tennessee has used both Kerry Collins and Vince Young, and the Colts have Manning. Garrard is really an underrated quarterback in this league, his numbers aren’t spectacular, but they do get the job done. Collins was a good quarterback for Tennessee last season, but Chris Johnson ran his way to eight wins this year. And one of my favorite duo’s in the league: Schaub to Andre Johnson. This is a throwing division—at least for the team who are always in the playoffs. You can look at what Vince Young did to us—threw the ball to victory. Chris Johnson wasn’t anything great that game. He barely broke the one hundred mark. But when all is said and done, throwing the ball is what is working best in this league (See how Philip Rivers has stayed on top the AFC West). Tom Brady, too, as well know all too well, has put together a solid run with Randy Moss and Wes Welker as wide outs.

So, what does all this mean for us in Miami? It doesn’t give any definite answer, but it does give us a direction. Sure, we love watching Ronnie Brown orchestrate the Wildcat and Ricky Williams run through the Fountain of Youth again, but how about the passing game. It’s clear that the AFC is defined for its passing game then its defense. The Jets have gotten to where they are from a two pronged rushing attack, but it was really a solid defensive unit that made them so successful this year. Therefore, I say Ronnie and Ricky need to see less, and Chad Henne and crew need to see more action.

Most of the Dolphins fan base was in a debate between Chad Pennington and Chad Henne for the start of the 2009 season. The debate was settled once Pennington received a season-ending injury and Henne filled in. If Pennington stayed healthy, would we still want him to lead us into the AFC hunt? Check out the past two years for both Henne and Pennington, and you tell me.

CHAD HENNE
YEAR	G	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	INT	RAT
2008	3	7	12	58.30	67	5.60	0	19	0	74.00
2009	14	274	451	60.80	2878	6.40	12	67	14	75.20
2009 Averages.		19.57	32.21		205.57		0.86		1.00

CHAD PENNINGTON
YEAR	G	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	INT	RAT
2008	16	321	476	67.40	3653	7.70	19	80	7	97.40
2008 Averages.		20	30		228.31		1.19		0.44
2009	3	51	74	68.90	413	5.60	1	21	2	76.00
2009 Avesrages.		17.00	24.67		137.67		0.33		0.67

Statistically, Pennington had done better in nearly every category. Let us not forget that Mr. Pennington was the MVP runner-up that 2008 season as well. Therefore, it’d be unfair to expect the same numbers coming from a second year player like Chad Henne. However, Henne did lead a hurt and banged up Miami team to great surprising wins, despite being handed a 0-3 start from Pennington. Now, I’m not here to say Pennington is the better quarterback, because statistics are only a small bit of the entire picture, but, I will say the quarterback debate has ended rather evenly. Considering Henne’s situation in the NFL as a young QB, he did impress me. But, if I do recall, most of us wanted Henne at quarterback to open up downfield play, for Henne has a cannon for an arm. We really thought Henne would be the answer to Ted Ginn. Not quite.

Henne has yet to truly show the deep threat. However, our offensive coordinator hasn’t really adapted to the new quarterback scenario. Miami is still a run first team and still doesn’t look to stretch out defenses secondaries. So, really, Henne has been just like Pennington in many ways. The major difference is that he is something we can see as the future. He’s young, capable of the deep ball (which we’ll use whenever we wake up on offense and see the great QB we have and trend of the NFL), and fits the mold for what any successful team is looking for in this league.

So, what makes a team survive in the AFC? It starts with what as worked in the recent past and what looks to work in the future. The future is through the air. If we want the future of the AFC and specifically AFC East to be Miami, then the Dolphins’ future must be Henne. Let Henne continue to break out of the Pennington-like passing attack of consistent dishes for 5-7 yards at a time and let Henne control the offense at his own tempo. We can look into the successful AFC quarterbacks (and teams for that reason) like Indy’s Manning and San Diego’s Rivers and see that they have the guts to make a tough pass up the middle for big gains. Rivers, especially, is what we want out of Henne. Once upon a time, the Chargers were LT. He was the best running back in the league for consecutive years. However, even the Chargers identified the league trend and went to a heavy passing offense. LT, who isn’t getting any younger, has become a has-been of the San Diego offense. And it’s true. Rivers lead the Chargers to the playoffs—not LT. An even better example is in the NFC, and what Brett Favre has done with the Vikings. He’s made the Minnesota offense pass-first, despite having one of the best running backs in the league with Adrian Peterson. And look where they are—a final four team.

The Miami Dolphins need to let Chad Henne develop into a Philip Rivers and let Ronnie Brown become LT. But, like any successful quarterback, Henne will need a true #1 wide receiver to get into Miami. Davone Bess and Brian Hartline are exciting to look forward to, but I’m not settling for them. We need a downfield threat to exploit Henne’s attributes as a quarterback, so Henne will then become not only a shadow of Pennington but a new quarterback to take the league by storm. EDIT: Get us Boldin or Marshall.

The future is Henne; let’s give him what it takes to be great.

The Ramble: AFC→AFC East→ Miami Dolphins→ Chad vs. Chad→ Henne→ Future WR

Call me Commish

el presidente 00 — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:18:57 -0000

So, I was sitting down one day reading my ESPN Magazine. This issue was "New Year! New Rules!" As we enter the offseason, I thought that it’d be fun to mess around with some of the rules of the NFL. But we’re not just worried about improving the regular pass-interferences or holding calls—we’re doing this Peezy-style. For those of you who don’t what that means, you’re probably not alone.

Today, I’m the Commissioner. Let’s do this.

Let’s start this off with some excitement. I want each game loud and awesomely awesome. I want marching bands. That’s right—like college football but NFL style. Give me all the little Nick Cannon’s and drummer boys in the world and we’re going to form a drum line and band to just dominate Sunday’s. After the Phins score a touchdown, what would you prefer? Jimmy Buffett? Marching band? Or a marching band playing Jimmy Buffet? That’s right, we’re getting jiggy with it Will Smith style, now. A Miami Dolphins cadence is in need. Break out the snare’s Mr. Cannon, this one’s for you.

Now we’re collaborating with some other sports for this next rule. One of the classiest things I have ever seen in sports is from the "original" football. In soccer, each starting member from both teams comes out holding the hand of a child. It is designed to show sportsmanship but also to set a good example for kids. Now, I clearly understand football and soccer are two intensities on two very different levels. It’s like comparing Dave Matthews to a band that is still screaming over a crayon that a kid broke in first grade twenty years later. Two way different approaches and intensities. So hear me out: When the captains meet at center field for the coin toss, they come out with kids. It makes the league look much more friendly and classy. It definitely wouldn’t hurt anyone, and who could really say no to it? It’s a simple rule that makes a nice long-lasting impression on the face of the NFL.

via www.uefa.com

This next rule is probably the smartest rule in the game. It’s just so brilliant. Here it is… if you get into a fight during the game, you just need to be ejected. Most of the time, any flagrant play will result in a rejection. But, let’s be honest here… If you want to fight a guy wearing a helmet and pads, you deserve to be sent off the field. And, no, there shouldn’t be a fine. There should just be some soul-searching and that’ll do, my friends. Seriously, why would you go after a guy protected in pads and a helmet? I’ve seen myself watching football where I just ask myself "why the hell did he just try that?!" I know I’m not the smartest guy on the planet, but I know enough to pick my battles with guys who aren’t protected with gear. If I did, put me in the locker room to think about how stupid I really am (Matt Light?).

via obsessedwithsports.files.wordpress.com

Moving on. To fully enhance an entertaining game, let’s throw in a little Arena Football into the mix. Let’s face it, in tough times, a business like the NFL needs to keep fans hungry on Sundays. I don’t mean hungry for a hot dog, either. I’m talking about that appetizing game day environment, a nice late quarter touchdown, and a cherry on top consisting of player interaction. Mmmm… I say, get the media off the field, or at least out from behind the end zone and bring the crowd in. With today’s technology, we should be able to find the pictures we want digitally or something. In Arena Football, the walls are the sidelines. I don’t want the walls representing the sidelines, but I want that crowd IN. Like an NBA game, you see LeBron or D-Wade courtside talking to some celebrity like Little Nicky or Justin Timberlake (not much of a difference) on timeouts or dead balls. Let’s match that in the NFL. Let’s create something where Chad Ochocinco can easily talk to his people after a touchdown, because we all know we miss his celebrations. This rule, by bringing the walls surrounding the field, will let players have fun after a touchdown, without necessarily celebrating. It will just make for awesome seats, a great chance of getting to talk to a professional, and from the business aspect, it will make people want to buy those tickets. The Lambeau Leap will be taken to a new extreme when you can just jump into the crowd not having to fear a wall… like this.

Take it or leave it, but that’s how Peezy would do it as Commish. I’m up for suggestions though, so give me some input below. I want to hear what some of you guys would do as the Big Guy. Enjoy the playoffs and thanks for reading!

The Decade in Review: Receiving

el presidente 00 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:10:51 -0000

Here's the second part of this decade-ending series brought to you by El Peezy himself. I'd like it start it off by wishing everybody a Happy New Years and hoping everyone has a fun and safe night. But, let's get to business, shall we?

The Miami Dolphins currently lack that "go-to" guy on third downs, and when we are forced to go airborn. We could make a good argument for Davone Bess, but... he's not like how Chris Chambers was for us, although he might be in the near future. The thing is, this decade of football for the Miami Dolphins hasn't been anything extraordinary for our receivers. Take a look at the statistics of our receivers (WR and TE only) who have made an impact for at least two seasons for Miami. Note: I added Brian Hartline to the list to show how his satisfying rookie year looks to some of this decade's best in aqua.

Enjoy!


	Year	REC	YDS	Average	TDs	Long
Orande Gadsden	2000	56	786	14	6	61
	2001	55	674	12.3	3	61
	2002	16	228	14.3	0	29
	Totals:	111	1460		9
Leslie Shepherd	2000	35	446	12.7	4	46t
	2001	5	22	4.4	0	9
	Totals:	40	468		4
Chris Chambers	2001	48	883	18.4	7	74t
	2002	52	734	14.1	3	59t
	2003	64	963	15	11	57t
	2004	69	898	13	7	76t
	2005	82	1118	13.6	11	77t
	2006	59	677	11.5	4	46
	2007	31	415	13.4	0	28
	Totals:	374	5273		43
James McKnight	2001	55	684	12.4	3	40
	2002	29	528	18.2	2	77
	2003	23	285	12.4	2	80t
	Totals:	107	1497		7
Randy McMichael	2002	39	485	12.4	4	45
	2003	49	598	12.2	2	46
	2004	73	791	10.8	4	42t
	2005	60	582	9.7	5	30t
	2006	62	640	10.3	3	24
	Totals:	283	3096		18
Derrius Thompson	2003	26	359	13.8	0	31
	2004	23	359	15.6	4	36
	Totals:	49	718		4
Marty Booker	2004	50	638	12.8	1	45
	2005	39	686	17.6	3	60t
	2006	55	747	13.6	6	52
	2007	50	556	11.1	1	26
	Totals:	194	2627		11
Wes Welker	2005	29	434	15	0	47
	2006	67	687	10.3	1	38
	Totals:	96	1121		1
Derek Hagan	2006	21	221	10.5	1	24
	2007	29	373	12.9	2	22T
	2008	3	51	17	0	20
	Totals:	53	645		3
Ted Ginn	2007	34	420	12.4	2	54
	2008	56	790	14.1	2	64
	2009	35	434	12.4	1	53
	Totals:	125	1644		5
Greg Camarillo	2007	8	160	20	2	64T
	2008	55	613	11.1	2	33
	2009	47	530	11.3	0	29
	Totals:	110	1303		4
David Martin	2007	34	303	8.9	2	28
	2008	31	450	14.5	3	61T
	Totals:	65	753		5
Davone Bess	2008	54	554	10.3	1	37
	2009	71	673	9.5	1	34
	Totals:	125	1227		2
Anthony Fasano	2008	34	454	13.4	7	24
	2009	29	298	10.3	2	21
	Totals:	63	752		9
Brian Hartline	2009	29	472	16.3	3	67
	Totals:	29	472		3

For Orande Gadsden, Tony Martin (not listed), and OJ McDuffie (not listed), the beginning was the end. Martin enjoyed a 1999 season going over the 1000 yd mark, but eventually fell off the wagon by 2001. Like Martin, Gadsden enjoyed success in 1999 and also 2000, but by 2002, lost production. It didn't help Gadsden's case either knowing that the future was from Wisconsin. The Badger we call Chris Chambers emerged as the go-to guy after Gadsden. Oronde only played in six games in 2002, where he collected only 228 yards on sixteen grabs. His 2003 year was very forgettable. He appeared in only six games in that season too, collecting just 48 yards on four catches. Leslie Shepherd had a solid year behind Gadsden in 2000, getting four touchdowns on just thirty five catches.

via a.espncdn.com

These receivers (McDuffie, Gadsden, Martin) were from the Marino-era Dolphins of the late 90's. The new batch of receivers had Jay Fiedler throwing the pigskin. These new receivers were Chris Chambers, James McKnight, and Randy McMichael. McKnight was solid for only three years, but even by his third season (2003), his production plummeted. He had two 80 yard receptions, other than that, was nothing incredible.

Chris Chambers became the Receiver of the Decade for the Miami Dolphins. He was over 800 yards in four of his first five seasons. He eclipsed the 1000 yard mark in his fifth Miami season in 2005. In that ’05 season, Chambers also set his highs in receptions with eighty two and tied his rookie year’s mark of eleven touchdowns. He is the only Dolphin to reach 1000 receiving yards in a season this decade. That’s nothing to be proud of, but at least we got one. His 43 touchdowns top all other Dolphins as well. His statistics don’t lie: he was the most successful Dolphin receiver of the decade. He made an instant impact in this league, tallying those eleven rookie year touchdowns. Ted Ginn is still yet to reach six receiving touchdowns. He was supposed to be "the next Chris Chambers" in terms of production in Miami.

Working as a tight end with Chambers, for the most part, was Randy McMichael. McMichael was a very productive tight end, especially in 2004. That year, he had more catches than Chambers. He posted a solid 791 yards on the year—a career high. McMichael was second in most receiving yards and touchdowns during this decade. Chambers and McMichael were teammates from 2002-2006. The Dolphins had winning seasons in three of those five seasons. 2006, as we know, wasn’t the best production year. McMike had his second best statistic season as a Dolphin, but Chambers failed to reach 700 yards after breaking 1000 the year before.

To accompany Chambers during 2003 and 2004 was Derrius Thompson. He was good for only 359 yards both years, it seems. As a #2, you’d expect more numbers out of Thompson, but with McMike and Chambers being the go-to guys, he found himself four touchdowns in the 2004 season. After Thompson was the David Boston, who did nothing for Miami. And then Wes Welker. The man every coach wants on his team. Well, we had him. After having two productive seasons, we let him go. The Pats get him, we feel the burn. Moving on.

Marty Booker was consistent during his four year tenure in Miami. He had more yards that Chris Chambers in 2006, with 747yards and six touchdowns as well. Booker’s numbers also went south when the Dolphins went 1-15. Booker was the #2 behind Chambers, though Miami was trying to incorporate Derek Hagan and Ted Ginn into play. With Miami struggling, Booker put up decent numbers. However, decent numbers in the NFL isn’t enough sometimes. After we shipped Chambers to San Diego, it gave Booker a chance to shine as the only experienced WR. He didn’t help his cause. We released him.

So, Chambers gone, McMichael a Ram, Booker gone, Welker gone. Time to start fresh. Dolphins went fishing in the draft to find the next Miami stud. We went with Derek Hagan (2006) and Ted Ginn (2007). Hagan was released at the beginning of the 2008 season, lasting only five games into that year. Ted Ginn has found most success in the return game, most notably against the Jets this season. However, his numbers were more productive in two seasons than Wes Welker’s. Somehow, someway, its true. Between the Bills last year, and the Jets this year, Ginn is best at having great games against rivals. And despite the Ginn debates and hate… I’d rather see him shine in a meaningful game like a divisional game than a team like Oakland or St. Louis.

Greg Camarillo came from San Diego and has been extremely reliable and consistent. His numbers don’t resemble his talent. He, more than anyone, reminds me of a Wes Welker of today. With Camarillo, is Davone Bess. Bess is awesome and a steal. He’s undrafted out of Hawaii and posted the third most receptions for a rookie receiver in 2008 behind Eddie Royal and Desean Jackson, but also has the second most receptions all-time for an undrafted rookie in his first year. The future is bright for Bess.

Fasano and Martin—on a quick note, are just hard workers. Martin was released during the 2009 offseason. Fasano was one of Chad Pennington’s favorite targets in 2008. The two combined for seven touchdowns.

As you see, Hartline is a typical Miami Dolphin receiver of this decade. His numbers are good, but nothing outstanding. Granted, he is just a rookie, but someone needs to emerge as the go-to guy as we begin a new decade of football. With Henne’s arm, he’ll throw all game if he has to. The opportunity is there for these young receivers. Summary of this post in a sentence: Good receivers, not good enough.

Sources: http://www.databasefootball.com

http://www.nfl.com/

The Decade in Review: The Running Game

el presidente 00 — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:41:07 -0000

[Editor's note by Matty I: Note that I plan on doing a short series of posts during the offseason where we vote to create a "Dolphins Team of the Decade." This post - and the ones "el presidente" will hopefully write in the future - will be very good for the debates that will follow when voting begins. Thanks to him for putting this together]

Whether we know it or not, Sunday's game was the last game for the Dolphins of this decade. Talk about how fast the 2000's went! Over the years, we've met a lot of new people, unfortunately lost many people, yet for us... continued to love something throughout all of this. That love is for the Miami Dolphins, which is exactly what we're going to discuss here.

The run game has seen many faces throughout the past ten years. As I researched for this write-up, there were many times when I completely forgot about some of the players. However, in this write-up, expect only Dolphins who were on the team and recorded a statistic for at least two years. These are the numbers of our Running Backs from 2000-2009 of our beloved Miami Dolphins. Hope you enjoy reflecting on the players that have come and left, and ultimately got us where we are today.

Look for this throughout the week with different write-ups, as the year officially ends and we enter 2010-- a new decade of Miami football headed in the right direction.

[Editor's note by Matty I: Note that I plan on doing a short series of posts during the offseason where we vote to create a "Dolphins Team of the Decade." This post - and the ones "el presidente" will hopefully write in the future - will be very good for the debates that will follow when voting begins. Thanks to him for putting this together]

Look for this throughout the week with different write-ups, as the year officially ends and we enter 2010-- a new decade of Miami football headed in the right direction.


	Year	ATT	YDS	Average	TDs	Long
Lamar Smith	2000	309	1139	3.7	14	68t
Lamar Smith	2001	313	968	3.1	6	25
	Totals:	622	2107		20
JJ Johnson	2000	50	168	3.4	1	16
JJ Johnson	2001	5	22	4.4	0	9
	Totals:	55	190		1
Travis Minor	2001	59	281	4.8	2	56t
Travis Minor	2002	44	180	4.1	2	23
Travis Minor	2003	41	193	4.7	1	26
Travis Minor	2004	109	388	3.6	3	34
Travis Minor	2005	5	17	3.4	0	9
Travis Minor	2006	19	74	3.9	0	9
	Totals:	277	1133		8
Ricky Williams	2002	383	1853	4.8	16	63t
Ricky Williams	2003	392	1372	3.5	9	45
Ricky Williams	2005	168	743	4.4	6	35
Ricky Williams	2007	6	15	2.5	0	6
Ricky Williams	2008	160	659	4.1	4	51T
Ricky Williams	2009	229	1090	4.8	11	68
	Totals:	1338	5732		46
Sammy Morris	2004	132	523	4	6	35t
Sammy Morris	2005	16	58	3.6	1	9t
Sammy Morris	2006	92	400	4.3	1	55
	Totals:	240	981		8
Ronnie Brown	2005	207	907	4.4	4	65t
Ronnie Brown	2006	241	1008	4.2	5	47
Ronnie Brown	2007	119	602	5.1	4	60
Ronnie Brown	2008	214	916	4.3	10	62T
Ronnie Brown	2009	147	648	4.4	8	45
	Totals:	928	4081		31
Patrick Cobbs	2007	15	47	3.1	1	12
Patrick Cobbs	2008	12	88	7.3	1	44
Patrick Cobbs	2009	6	36	6	0	19
	Totals:	33	171		2

So, the decade started off with Lamar Smith and JJ Johnson. Smith put together a very solid season to lead the Dolphins to an 11-5 season by breaking 1000 yds and putting up an impressive fourteen touchdowns. Those fourteen touchdowns were the second most in one season throughout the entire decade-- only to be broken by the one and only Ricky Williams in 2002.

We'll get back to Ricky in a bit. Let me put some spotlight on Travis Minor-- who seems to be in the shadow of Ricky Williams, for the most part. Minor was a Dolphin for six years-- quite a long time for any running back in the NFL, especially if your role is to be a #2 back. Minor collected only eight touchdowns in six seasons, but enjoyed success in 2004-- a "Ricky-less" year for Miami, but still split time with Sammy Morris. Morris, now a Patriot, was a back used second to Williams, as well, but compiled decent numbers in 2004 and 2006. Minor, a FSU Seminole, was a third round pick for Miami in 2001. He was productive as a Phin---not a Ram (2007-08).

The majority of the decade was dominated by Ricky Williams, the Longhorn turned Saint turned Dolphin. Even though Ricky gave us a lot of head aches with his drug issues, we should all be thankful he's in Miami. Ricky almost got to the 2000 yard mark in 2002. That year, he set the new franchsie record for rushing yards, and the next year, broke the franchise record for carries. It's tough for us to count that terrible 2007 year, especially for Ricky-- who only got six carries then went down. If we take that year away from Williams, that's forty six touchdowns in just five seasons, which averaging almost ten touchdowns per year. And that's with Ronnie Brown emerging as the number one back. Ricky was able to reach 1000 yards for just the third time during his tenure in Miami this year. Even at this age, Ricky isn't slowing down. Once a beast, always a beast.

via blackathlete.net

What can Brown do for you? Ronnie Brown can come into this league with Miami and take over. Despite two unfortunate season-ending injuries in only five years, Brown has been extremely productive, especially in finding the endzone in the past few seasons. If Brown stayed healthy, who knows how his numbers would go up. Clearly, we have the two most successful runners in the past decade for Miami on the same team right now, which is the mian reason why Miami mastered the Wild Cat and why other teams try the Wild Cat. There isn't much more to say about Brown besides the fact he still puts up great numbers while batling injuries. In with Ronnie and Ricky the past two years has been the staff's favorite Patrick Cobbs. He is a hardworker who suffered a season-ending injury himself this year.

With names like Smith, Williams, and Brown... it doesn't get any simpler than that to lead the Dolphins through a satisfying decade of football.

The Number: 68--- the longest run of the decade. It happened three times (Smith twice in 2000 and Williams once in 2009)

I hope you enjoyed this, and like I said, expect more throughout the week or so.

Source: http://www.databasefootball.com

Taylor-- Comeback Player of the Year?

el presidente 00 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:02:39 -0000

Taylor-- Comeback Player of the Year?

A nice, little article giving credit where credit is due-- to JT himself

Marshall to Jets??

el presidente 00 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:28:18 -0000

Marshall to Jets??

If this happens, do we pursue a guy like Boldin to keep up with the receivers in the division? Your thoughts below...

ESPN Fantasy Rankings: Ted Ginn and WRs

el presidente 00 — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:25:03 -0000

With the season just a few more weeks away, football for some has already begun--with fantasy football drafts. In a recent ESPN Magazine, it had the rankings for Top 150 and then had rankings broken down per each position. Although the fantasy world is much different than reality, I thought it was interesting where Ted Ginn was.

*What we know about Ted Ginn*: For a first round pick two years ago, Ginn has showed sparks of becoming a great NFL receiver. The Buffalo game this past year sticks out the most, where Ginn had 7 rec for 175 yds. His speed has been noticeable in many aspects in the game, from trick plays to returning kicks. In a division with great WRs, Ginn enters his third year-- perhaps the biggest year for a wide receiver-- where he needs to emerge as a true #1 wide out for Miami.

Again, fantasy stats are much different than in real life-- but good play on the field translates to a good week in fantasy.

ESPN had Ted Ginn ranked 40th amongst all NFL WRs. Crabtree (35th), Steve Breaston (36th), Derrick Mason (37th), Donnie Avery (38th), and Devin Hester (39th) were the five in front of Ginn.

Hester reminds me a lot of Ginn because of kick return success and flashes of excellence at WR. Crabtree isn't signed and he's a rookie... all he has proven so far is he's a big name out of college.

Notable players behind Ginn include Bobby Engram (42nd), Chris Chambers (45th), and Joey Galloway (51st).

So out of 32 teams in the NFL, Ginn is ranked 40th amongst all. Okay... -- he hasn't distinguished himself enough yet. But I'm not concerned with all 32 teams-- just the four in our division and their WRs.

According to ESPN, Randy Moss and T.O. lead the AFC East with rankings of 4 and 10, respectively. Welker is close with a ranking of 14, followed by Lee Evans (21st) and Jerrico Cotchery (30th). Ted is the next AFC East receiver on the list.

ESPN has Ginn ranked as #6 in the AFC East, as well as the only Dolphin to make the WR list. Now, usually I'm not into rankings, but this was a nice comparison to how Ginn fits in amongst the league. More than that, however, this comparison really shows how Ginn needs to develop into an elite receiver due to the fact the AFC East has proven receivers.

Granted this is fantasy ranking, my question to you is how do you rate ESPN's ranking of Ted Ginn amongst the league and our division?

Fin Nation

el presidente 00 — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:24:55 -0000

Alright, as we know, Dolphins have the best fan base out there. Even after a 1-15 season last year, we all stayed true fans. And that's what makes this a great team. Now the real question here is, where is our Fin Nation? Simple as this: give the you're state from and city (if you want) and let's see our Fin Nation through a national aspect.

I'll start... El Prez resides all the way from Massachusetts

Go Phins!!

I'll start... El Prez resides all the way from Massachusetts

Go Phins!!