Dont Look Now - Miami Dolphins are 5-4 (1 Viewer)

[Native]

The Phins are 5-4 and still in the thick of the playoff hunt, not to mention the AFC East crown. Their defense is playing well, Pennington is doing a more than serviceable job getting the ball downfield to his receivers, and the OL and running game have been excellent. Most importantly though, Miami has one of the easier schedules in the league over the final seven weeks.

Nov 16 OAK @ MIA

Nov 23 NE @ MIA

Nov 30 MIA @ STL

Dec 07 MIA @ BUF

Dec 14 SF @ MIA

Dec 21 MIA @ KC

Dec 28 MIA @ NYJ

If they take care of business vs Oakland, St Louis, KC, and SF, theyre already at 9 wins. If they can win one additional divsion game (theyve already beaten Buffalo and New England this year), 10-6 is not out of the question either. Plus they have tie-breaker advantages over SD and Denver. Sure a lot has to go right, but its not out of the realm of possibility.

Thoughts?

 

[Breesisdaman]

Miami will make the playoffs and get eliminated in the first round. All Dolphin fans should rejoice at that progress.

 

[Marvelous]

It is simply amazing how quickly Parcells can turn a team around.

 

[drew726]

Miami has a running game and they stop the run on the other end. Even though Chad doesn't throw much touchdowns, he throws a lot of 10 yard pass plays, which usually gives them first downs. So they stay on the field and stop the run on the other end. They make the opposing QB's beat them. The QB's in his divison: Matt Cassel, Brett Favre, Trent Edwards. Besides Brett, I wouldn't consider the other two able to beat you by passing. So yes, I think they have a shot.

 

[Ghost Rider]

9 or 10 wins is definitely a possibility, and will probably come down to tiebreakers, so, yes, they have a shot.

The tiebreaker advantages over Denver or San Diego probably won't matter, though, as the AFCW is only going to get one team in this year, the division winner.

 

[brednbuddah]

I think a lot of the credit should good to pennington. he´s really a smart QB. however, he´s only going to take the dolphins so far. one and done in the playoffs is the best they will do this season.

 

[*****]

Amazing turnarounds by the Phins and Falcons this year.

Phins are set up to give Henne an "Aaron Rodgers" type of apprenticeship under Chad. They can run the ball and even have an extra 2nd rounder from the Taylor trade. For a team that 1-16 last year, they are in good shape.

 

[blackjack23]

Titans are in, one of SD & Den is in, one of PIT & BAL is in, one of NE & NYJ will win that div. That leaves IND, NYJ/NE, PIT/BAL fighting for the 2 WC spots. IND has an easy sched from here out so they will be in. BAL won the tiebreaker vs MIA.

 

[NeverEnough]

For the 1st time in a while, I'm happy to be a Phins fan

 

[David Yudkin]

Miami lost 6 games by a FG and 3 others by 10 or less last year. They were better than their record indicated last year. Not much difference this year except they are pulling out some closer games.

 

[{Syrus}]

Two words: Wildcat Formation

 

[ChuckLiddell]

Titans are in, one of SD & Den is in, one of PIT & BAL is in, one of NE & NYJ will win that div. That leaves IND, NYJ/NE, PIT/BAL fighting for the 2 WC spots. IND has an easy sched from here out so they will be in. BAL won the tiebreaker vs MIA.

Miami is one game back of these 2 teams, and all 3 teams play eachother again this season (startign with NE/NYJ in a few days). I dont think anyone should be conceeding the division to NE/NYJ just like that. If Miami takes care of their business, they have a very reasonable shot at actually winning the division.

 

[Man In The Box]

I have very tempered expectations right now with this team. Just enjoying the ride. Yes, they have a nice schedule down the stretch, but after winning 1 game last year, I don't think I can look at a game and say "oh that's a win." Not yet. Gun to my head, I'd say they win 8 or 9 games.

 

[Yogi Fin]

Miami lost 6 games by a FG and 3 others by 10 or less last year. They were better than their record indicated last year. Not much difference this year except they are pulling out some closer games.

THIS is why I was so MF GLAD they got that game against Baltimore last year (and we were introduced to ayoung fella named Camarillo ). Up until that point the twin story lines of the year were the Pats gunningafter the Phins record in the same year they were laying an egg. It just wasn't the historic egg the media wasspinning (worst team of all time BS ...don't get me started).Where is the talk about the Lions this year, who have looked much worse than the Phish of last season?I suspect the answer lies in the franchise-- nobody notices, they're SUPPOSED to suck!And the reasons Miami's pulling out more games this year:1. Chad- the confidence of a steady vet in the huddle is unmeasureable on a young team.2. The Parcells/Sparano Factor- has to be thrown in there, mostly for the good draft and house-cleaning moves.3. Joey P- do they give comeback player awards in this League? His play has been a surprise even to me.4. The aforementioned clock domination. They're just killing the clock to kill the games! That is when they're not using:5. The Wildcat- of course has to mentioned, but credit not only the guy who brought over of course, but Henning for being open-minded enough to have fun with it. What a season to be a fan! Playoffs one and out and I couldn't be happier!

 

[Big Blue Wrecking Crew]

For the 'Phins homers, can you give some insight regarding their defense? As has been mentioned in other threads, they have favorable matchups the rest of the way, but, in analyzing their numbers, don't seem to have generated significant scoring. So, are they playing the "bend don't break" type D, with minimal turnovers/sacks/etc...or, as the season has progressed, are they playing the type of D that can generate points?

 

[Native]

Agree that the tiebreaker with Baltimore is going to hurt Miami's chances. That said, both teams still have a VERY tough schedule down the stretch - Steelers have the Titans, Cowboys, Pats, Ravens and Chargers. The Ravens have the Giants, Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers, Redskins and Jaguars.

With that schedule, I can easilly see the Ravens finishing 8-8 or 9-7.

 

[ChuckLiddell]

For the 'Phins homers, can you give some insight regarding their defense? As has been mentioned in other threads, they have favorable matchups the rest of the way, but, in analyzing their numbers, don't seem to have generated significant scoring. So, are they playing the "bend don't break" type D, with minimal turnovers/sacks/etc...or, as the season has progressed, are they playing the type of D that can generate points?

They are getting turnovers and sacks which is what has kept them alive, because the D is not all that great. They have been tough against the run for the most part, but they can be passed on. Even Seneca Wallace with an injured groin should have had a great day, but his receivers dropped 6 or 7 passes - a few that would have led to points for sure (one EASY one in the EZ by Koren Robinson). Jason Ferguson has been money at the nose, which has been a large reason for their success against the run - but they are far from an elite D. Very well coached, and disciplined so far. Yermiah Bell has been great at safety, and Will Allen has been solid at CB. Porter and Roth have been way better than expected at LB, and Channing Crowder was a monster yesterday. For some reason, they seem to have trouble getting off the field on 3rd down. The loss to Houston was painful - the D just could not get off the field late in that game. They easily could have lost yesterday too if Seattle could hold on to a few perfectly thrown balls. Turnovers and timely sacks have saved them a lot of points against this season.It is just so great to be winning again though. When you are expecting 4-12, the possibility of a plyoff berth (or dare I say, a division championship?) in week 11 is a huge rush. No expectations for a super bowl run, but just being competitive has been so much fun!

 

[tombonneau]

Miami lost 6 games by a FG and 3 others by 10 or less last year. They were better than their record indicated last year. Not much difference this year except they are pulling out some closer games.

IIRC, this is the mirror image of the "miracle turnaround" Parcells made with a 1-15 Kotite-led Jets team that lost a bunch of close games the previous year. Same as Miami, they had the talent just not the leadership, what with players falling asleep in meetings and what not.Don't get me wrong, I like Parcells, but more than a miracle worker, he seems like he has an even better eye for finding underperforming teams with a decent amount of talent and then maximizing them to their potential.IMO, the only truly impressive turnaround job he did was making the Patriots into contenders and taking them to the SB in 96. That team started with absolutely nothing and he built them into a legit franchise.

 

[Judge Smails]

I was disappointed by the D yesterday. Picked them up for their schedule. Thought they would manhandle Wallace. Didn't do that, and Jones broke for a long run too. They will be forgiven if they absolutely destroy the Raiders at home - would like 2 defensive TD's, thank you.