The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I suspect this game is going to be closer than many expect. 

I doubt many of you regularly watch Mike Vrabel's press conferences.

It sounds like he is NOT solely focused on Miami.  But is more focused on improving the team overall.  Team is still practicing and preparing for Sunday, but rather than having a single focus of "Here is what we need to do sack Ewers"  It is more along the lines of "Here is what we need to improve out pass rushing regardless of the opposing QB" 

Not surprising really. The #1 seed is nice to have, but it's not really that important. It can work against you not playing a week when everyone else is playing especially if you're not particularly banged up. Wouldn't surprise me at all if New England gets down in the game after half time that they pull out their starters and just rest them the rest of the game. Last thing you want is to lose someone for the playoffs due to some injury in the 2nd half of week 18.

The season is over. I'm beyond caring about anything other than prep for next season right now.

If it doesn't effect their possible bonuses (or if it does, pay them out  because they have earned it) I'd rest Brooks, Chubb, Brewer, and Achane (with a view to re-signing him anyway).

Play some of the more marginal guys and see if they are a chance to cut it for next season. As far as I'm concerned, the pre-season started last week.   

I do find it funny that many of the same people who are like "Re-signing Tua early was the dumbest thing in the world" are currently saying "Of course we have to pay our running back early!"
After all, if MIA makes Achane play out the last year of his contract, he might get mad and refuse to re-sign with the team!

I think that the Patriots are legitimately good and just firing at the right time, so if they are "trying", they will likely beat us pretty soundly.  It's a tough condition and we are on a backup, rookie QB.  That said, we usually play spoiler and play the Pats tough, but this doesn't feel like the year for that, to me.

I said with a view to re-signing him. I didn't say it had to be this offseason, and I didn't say we had to mortgage the whole fucking farm to do it either.

Slight difference there if you bothered to look.  ::)

Exactly. I don't recall anyone saying don't sign Tua under any circumstances.  The criticism was way too much money particularly guaranteed money for the talent level and injury history.

Which is why they need to go to eight teams for the playoffs.   Just like in the College Football Playoff, the top four teams last year all got knocked out in their first game and so far, one team this year has been knocked out and the other is currently losing.   After taking a month off, you can't expect your team to be at their best.  Same goes for a week off (or two weeks if the top seed rests their starters in week 18)

Six was better.   Eight would be horrible.  No real benefit to be #1 vs #4 the more teams that make the playoffs the less meaningful the regular season.  9-8 should NOT make the playoffs.

There's always been the argument about rewarding mediocrity vs money for more playoff games.. we all know the later won.

Unfortunately it always will. It's happening there in the USA and happening here in Australia in the AFL. More playoffs/finals = more money for teams and TV networks. Greed is good.

Spider can't help himself.  20 years from now he'll still be defending Tua.

Prediction

Miami 20

New England 17

I had a coworker who was convinced Bledsoe was the next coming of Joe Montana he was convinced the NE  vs Bills games would prove Belichick was a moron for trading the wrong QB

Awful first series by the Defense. They can't tackle in cold weather?

Dodson's one handed attempt on the long run was spectacularly lazy.

That was a pretty good first drive by the offense in reply, up to the last risky play on fourth and goal. It almost came off too, if not for the Wilson drop.

Ewers looks sharp and not over-awed, even without Achane and Waddle. Promising signs.

I imagine there are as many Jets fans that blamed Sam Darnold for their problems as there were Dolphins fans that blamed Ryan Tannehill for ours.

I don't think anyone is particularly surprised that the Patriots offense is better than the Dolphins defense. The more relevant question is can Quinn be effective against the best defense he has ever faced in the coldest weather he had to ever played in.  And so far while not perfect he is doing pretty good.

The defense hasn't woken up today...

Sigh

His poor play is the reason the offense sucked.  His cap number is the reason the defense sucked.

Good drive. Impressed by Ewers today

Great TD scoring drive to reply.

A great mix of pass and run, although I would have kept Gordon in for that first and goal attempt. Didn't matter anyway.

The D finally makes a stop. I guess the morning coffee has finally kicked in?

Wright promptly fumbles it away.

Second fumble for the half, this one a turnover.

I'm having trouble trusting this guy right now.

Dolphins get a FG after the d blocked a NE fg

14-10 Patsies

A one score game at half time - if Wilson made the catch at the end of our opening drive, it would be all square.

Sloppy start to the second half. Pre-snap mistakes have cost us on the opening drive... but then Dulhich comes up with the 20 yards on third down to move the chains.

Terrible pick by Ewers

The first really bad throw by Ewers all game... I'm not sure who he was intending to throw to, but he missed them by a mile and hit the CB between the numbers.

The defense has had its poor patches, but Dodson is having a really bad game.

Safety not corner-back. 

Another really poor throw by Ewers, almost another INT... then he takes a sack.

Looks like the Pats are making effective post-half adjustments... and we're not (again).

I guess that shows you my interest in the Pat's roster.  ;) :D

Really poor 3rd quarter by the Fins. McDaniel's halftime speech must have done it again.  ::)

Anyone else get the feeling Ewers has a pick-6 coming?

The first half he was making some really risky throws to the sideline where if it was even a little off or the defender jumped it, it was on the cards...

When the Dolphins went for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal, I concluded that the primary goal of this game was to test Ewers, see if he could make some difficult throws, make good decisions, remain poised on 4th and short, etc. 
 
Having Ewers stick to safe dump offs does nothing.  Testing him lets the team evaluate him and to the extent he is unsuccessful    gives them the film so they can coach him and give him homework to work on during the off season. 

Having him just do a bunch of safe dink and dunks would probably give them the best chance to win, but if the Dolphins number #1 goal was to win Ewers wouldn't be playing. 

It's not going to matter now anyway, Ewers has been yanked out of the game...

So we can see why Wilson is not worth a roster spot and the $$$ we paid him.

Why the fuck would they put Wilson in?  Give Cam Miller a test drive.

A fittingly clueless decision to end a season full of clueless decisions.

Congrats Hoodie, good luck in the playoffs.

Because the Patsies were so far ahead the defense was just teeing off on Ewers, no point in getting him hurt at this point.  This was just a "preseason game", you don't leave your starter in there to get beat up at the end of a game.  Why did the Pats take Maye out for Dobbs?

I read after the game finished, Ewers was out at the end because of a knee concern/possible injury.

I wasn't questioning the pulling of Ewers, I was questioning why Wilson went in instead of Miller.

Also Ewers was at a much less risk of injury at the end of the game than Maye on two counts.  1. Maye needs to be ready to play in a week, if Ewers can't play for a month it wouldn't be a big deal OTAs are a few months away.  2. Maye was at risk of a late hit by a frustrated Dolphin whose season was over and wanted revenge.  Ewers didn't have such a risk.  I am not implying Dolphin players are inherently dirtier than Patriots players, just that in the current situation a NEP player would have no reason to be vengeful while Dolphin players being frustrated would be understandable.  

Miller was inactive for the game.

(https://preview.redd.it/week-18-inactives-waddle-achane-aj-minkah-chop-all-out-v0-sgmtvuh21ebg1.jpeg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3b0b274907e6fae1b2d357aa9098fe77c9f1a6b9)

I think this game showed Miami really needs Achane on the roster.  The 2nd and 3rd RB's are good but clearly not as good as Achane.  Also having Waddle inactive was detrimental to the offense.

I'm more concerned about the defense than I am the offense at this point. Unless we resign Chubb and Minkah we are going to need a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball. If they resign one or both it's not as bad. I'm already assuming that Tua and Hill will not be on the roster next year so the offense will need players too, but I think we might have their replacements already on the roster in Ewers and Washington. Obviously since those guys are rookies this year they are not going to replace Tua and Hill in the beginning, but eventually they could. Not sure we have anyone on the roster to replace Chubb or Minkah at the moment and we still need a couple of DB's to boot. For the first time in years we may not really need much help at offensive or defensive line, not that we can't improve in those areas.