The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I would have loved to have done this as a poll, but after consulting the help section it doesn't seem to be available with the new topic options? Maybe the Mods can do something?

So, after a 10-6 season in 2020, and a draft lauded by many experts and fans, what do you guys consider as a pass mark for 2021 in our rebuild?

- Superbowl baby!

- Playoff win

- AFC East Title

- Wild card appearance (even if it's less than a 10-6 result)

- 10-6 record or better

- Improvement in Tua and game play even if it's less than last year's 10-6 record

- Two wins against the Jets

Pass mark would be make the playoffs.
I'd be happy if we won a playoff game.
I'd be happier if we won the AFCE and won a playoff game
I'd be even happier if we got to the AFC championship game.
I'd cry if we won the Superbowl.

Have to win a playoff game. I don't want to put a win total on it because we can go 13-3 and lose the division to the Bills at 14-2. So, I will just say win a playoff game and show that you are contenders.

As a few of you know, I have regarded the the Jimmy Johnston-Dallas model of blowing-it-all-up-to-Superbowl as the gold standard of the practice.

There are similarities and slight differences in our case - he already had his future HOF QB at year zero before they sold Herschell Walker for Minnesota's farm, after selling Tunsil for a heap in our first year of drafts we got (hopefully) ours in Tua. So it's kind of a three year vs four year process, although our picks stretch to four years...

They went 1-15, 7-9, 11-5 (wild card and playoff win), 13-3 (Superbowl win)

Dallas had a murderous division at the time (they were not called the beasts of the East for nothing!) against Superbowl winners Washington & the Giants, and regular contenders Philadelphia. We are up against it too, losing both our games to Buffalo who reached the AFC Championship game and kicked our butts in the last head to head.

This year for me it's a playoff birth (division title, or more likely wild card) and preferably a playoff win. Plus we have to win at least one of our games against Buffalo (seeing as Dallas split their games against Washington who went on to win the Superbowl right before they did). That's what the Cowboys did back in 1991, and what I think the goal should be if we are for real in this rebuild.

 

Win a playoff game. Show you belong on the real playground with the big kids...

We have not won a playoff game for 20+ years... we are way overdue.

That's why I ranked it higher than an AFC East title.

Winning a playoff game would be a passing mark for me.  I know beating Buffalo for the AFC East title may be a tall order but it can be done. 

I think this team is the only franchise that has had multiple 10 win seasons with no playoff appearances.

Seemed like everything went right for the Bills last year aside from the Hail Murray, not always easy to repeat that performance. Texans were very lucky in 2019, much to the anger of all of us but they came back in 2020 minus their top WR and 3rd worst team in the NFL.

I had to think about this one a bit.  But I think I'm going to go with "win a playoff game" also. 

20-0 is my expectation!

Playoffs. Only this time, I want them to get in without the help of a blown call like in 2016 

I also don't know how the Bills did so well last year.  Other than the QB I can't name another player on the team, and I live in Upstate NY.  It wouldn't surprise me to see them regress this year.

On topic, if Miami doesn't make the playoffs it will be a disappointment.  A playoff win would be really nice to see after all these years.

my benchmark for success is that I want to see us dominate inferior teams .. i'd like a 56-7 scoreline in there at some point this year. I would like to feel like we're dangerous.

I'm going to go with be competitive in a playoff game. Someone mentioned we haven't won a playoff game in over 20 years, actually we haven't been competitive in a playoff game in over 20 years. Now some of you might say that's not much of an improvement from 10-6 and missing the playoffs, but I disagree. Expecting a playoff win as a wild card team which I fully expect will be the only way we make the playoffs is expecting quite a lot in my humble opinion. You have to remember that this team is VERY young and got younger this offseason. Just making the playoffs and playing in a playoff game even if they lose but are competitive would be a HUGE boost of confidence for them. Tua is only in his 2nd season and his first season was a bit rocky. I expect he will be better this year, but I still don't think you will see him play well consistently. I expect the offense to open up more this year and you'll see more big plays from them and more TD's for Tua, but you'll also see more mistakes as he tries to push the ball down the field more this year so more interceptions as well. 2022 will be the year I really expect him to take a big leap forward and start to look like the star QB most think he will become. That's when Miami will make a strong push in the playoffs. It won't be this year, but the year after I predict.

And let's not forget that Miami was a miracle no look pass from the back-up QB away from 9-7. A strong 10-6 this year would be an improvement.

* Poll added

Year three so we need to prove we are legit. Anything less than a playoff win and it will be a disappointing season barring some unforeseen issue.

Does the tear down year count as Year 1? I would classify 2020 as Year 1 since we almost purposely lost games in 2019.

Either way, we were 10-6 last year so the next step is a playoff victory. Anything less than that and we did not step forward unless we go 14-2, get a bye and lose in Round 2.

At a minimum there needs to be a playoff appearance but I wouldn’t feel good without a playoff win.

Mine is a playoff appearance. 

We aren't a playoff team, so to be one is the next logical step.

We only missed out on the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. At 10-6, I would say we are a playoff team. We can go 9-7 this year and make the playoffs and that would be considered a step back.

I definitely understand that, but I disagree.

A playoff team, in the context I'm thinking, literally means going to the playoffs (and having the experience of having played in a game).  This squad didn't have that experience together.  ...so, for me, literally getting into the playoffs, even if it's backing in with a worse record, is my benchmark for what I'd like to see to become eventual contenders.

I also disagree. We were 1 play away from being 9-7 last year. If we make the playoffs this year, it's a step forward regardless of the record.

This was the third time this team has won ten games and missed the playoffs.  I don't know of any other franchise that has accomplished that feat more than once.

My only issue with using Number of Wins as a benchmark is that it is so influenced by things such as "strength of schedule", division strength, etc.

Same as playoffs though. Redskins were 7-9 division winners last year while we sat home at 10-6. Winning the division is nice but we were clearly the better team.

Which is why you need to not give division winners home field advantage in the playoffs if the wild card team they are facing has a better record.

Good point.

Yeah, there is no solid marker to judge success, unless you win the Superbowl. Would we rather go 14-3, get a 1st round bye and then lose by 40 in the playoffs or go 10-7 and make it to the AFC Title game?

BTW, it is going to take me years to not talk about going 9-7 or 13-3. Stupid extra game.

It's now official - the Dolphins have attained a FAIL grade from me for the 2021 season.

Didn't win a playoff game, did not even make the playoffs, and did not manage a win against Buffalo.

Glad this thread was resurrected.  It was pretty interesting to see what all of us thought the season had in store compared to how it actually played out. 

But they did get two wins against the Jets

Just a bad season from top to bottom. Our draft picks all did very well so that's something but there is no reason to believe we will be better next year running out the same coaches and players. Won't even have a good 1st rounder either.

I was looking for a playoff birth and didn't get one, but depending upon how next week's game goes they were very close again. Not a step forward, but not really a step back either, just more of the same that we have come to expect from the Dolphins really since Shula retired.

Glad this topic was brought back I was thinking of searching for it the other day.

I'd say there was a slight regression this year because I believe they should have made the playoffs; also they need to score more points on offense..  If Miami got the breaks in 2021 that they got in 2020, then they would have three more wins, 10 wins in 2020 was more than they really deserved. 

The positives are that most of the draft picks from the last couple years are working out, and hopefully the O-line picks will improve - I still think they need better O-line coaching.  The other thing that worries me is that this team doesn't seem to play well from behind, if they go down 10 points I just don't get the sense they can make it up - and that's on the play calling.