The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

KC and NE

It will be held at the stadium of whoever wins their regular season matchup.

I feel a Patriots Super Bowl victory is a foregone conclusion for this season.

I will just be rooting for them not to go undefeated

There are lots of bad teams in the league this season and very, very few elite teams. The Texans are the only other team that MIGHT turn it around a bit and win 12 games or so. I don't consider the Bills a threat because their opponents are something like 2-15 on the year and they barely beat them.

d4l, when I browse this site on my phone, I don't see the names of the ppl posting, but I swear I can tell yours apart every time. And that's not a good thing.

Good thing you're using pencil. Hope it has an eraser on the end of it as well.

I'm just going to go ahead and chisel in stone the 49ers' Super Bowl spot...


;)

Can you imagine the hype around "apprentice vs master" in Garoppolo vs Brady superbowl.  Fun fact:  none of Brady's apprentices ever prevailed over him in a game, his only former backup to get a win was Bledsoe who could hardly be considered one of Brady's apprentices.   

True...Brady was technically Bledsoe's apprentice at the start.

I was fortunate enough to watch a great Apple Cup (UW vs WSU) when I lived up there. Drew Bledsoe for WSU vs Mark Brunell for UW.  Might be the drunkest I've ever been on US soil... ;)

You prefer to do your heaviest drinking internationally, rather than domesticly?

don't we all ?

I recall from previous posts that he served in the military.   I can see why he made that statement.   You need the stress relief during your downtime and drinks are much cheaper overseas if you know the right spots.

Not thread related, but sticking with the current conversation......in 2005 I took a circuitous route to Iraq.  I flew a commercial airline from El Paso to Minneapolis and then Minneapolis to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Kuwait City and then a National Guard C130 from Ali Al Salim Air Base in Kuwait to Baghdad.  I was traveling with a Chair Force Major.  We had like a 6 hour layover in Amsterdam.  We weren't allowed to leave the airport so we spent 6 hours getting hammered in the airport bar and admiring the astounding beauty of like 85% of the women in the Amsterdam airport.  We could barely stagger onto the plane and were pretty nervous about whether we would be sober by the time we got picked up in Kuwait City.  Thankfully the female Airman who picked us up was cool and took us to get food and drove us around a while before taking us to the Kuwait embassy so we could at least get past the sloppy drunk stage of inebriation.  Good times.

Brad nailed it...9 of my top-10 drunken moments were in Europe during my two tours in the Army. Single drunkest moment...the lighting of the castle ceremony in Augsburg Germany in 1986. Not sure how many beers and bottles of Apfelkorn (apple schnapps) I drank that night, but I woke up on the grass in front of the castle the next morning with a wicked shiner and missing my left shoe.

Good times...   ;D

Not sure why, but that story really made me laugh my ass off.  Obviously only knowing you and your personality from your posts here, but I could absolutely see that happening to you. 

^^^ Yessir, I was a little wilder back in my 20's than I am now in my 50's, that's for sure. ;D

Back on topic...I am a little concerned about my 49ers offense. Even though we just got Tevin Coleman back, we are now using our #4 and #5 OT's, as our top 3 tackles are all injured, plus now we've lost our all-world fullback, Kyle Juszczyk.

Hopefully our defense can keep hammering folks...

Patriots win again, in typical nauseating fashion.

Their defense and special teams has outscored Miami's offense, I believe. 

NE has 3 defensive TDs and 2 ST.  Mia off has 2.

i thought NE looked very vulnerable yesterday. We'll see once they start playing above a .200 SoS

New England does have some vulnerability I predict at the end of the season NE def/st has more TDs than the MIa off.  My confidence in this prediction stems more from my view of Mia than of NE.

When is that? They still have the Jets, Browns, Dolphins and Bengals. Ravens and Eagles are mediocre, the Cowboys aren't contenders, the Bills have had an even easier schedule and the Texans aren't impressing anyone right now. Only really tough game I see is against Kansas City. The schedule gets harder for the Pats but a 14-2 year would not be shocking even if they aren't really that much of a juggernaut.

The dream continues for the 49ers...going on the road and hammering the Rams. The Niners' defense is looking scary good right now.

5-0...

49rs are looking good, but like NE they haven't played anyone with a winning record.  (Actually NE played the Bills)  They should easily sail to 6-0, then their schedule gets harder. 

Because your GM did something that ours failed to do.   He built the trenches solid first.

Sure they have...The Rams were 3-2 when we went into their stadium and destroyed them...

49ers won and defense did its job.  But the offense was not impressive against a horrible Washington team.

No argument there... But, again, we are down to our #4/#5 tackles, no Juszczyk at FB, and most of our WRs are a bit nicked up.

We were also playing in a mud bowl...that was pretty ridiculous. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice would've had difficulties generating offense in those conditions.

Next 4 games, Panthers-Cardinals-Seahawks-Cardinals, and 3 of the 4 are at home. We should get McGlinchey and a few other starters back by then, so...

Go NINERS!!

Yeah, man.  Your 49ers have been one hell of a turnaround/success story.  It must be nice to be able to root for a good team.  I can barely remember the last time I was able to do that.   

The 49ers deal for a player I've always liked, WR Emmanuel Sanders, which definitely addresses our biggest need at this point.

Joe Staley is expected to start practicing again this week, and McGolinchey and Juszczyk should be back in the next few weeks.

Time to kill 53 birds with one stone tonight...and all of them Cardinals.

GO 49ers!!

Is it too early to start imagining what the 72 Fins reaction would be if two 18-0 teams were to play a SB in Miami?

I've got a vivid imagination...and I just can't see it. One...or both will get tripped up at least once before the regular season is over.

P.S.  Props to the Baby Bear, Nick Bosa, for winning the NFC Defensive Player (and Rookie) of the Month award.

Since, this seems to be the hot topic of conversation, I will start this thread.

I will certainly be rooting for them to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

If that happened, I would dance even more crazily than I did after the Miami Miracle

Kenyan Drake balled out last night.   Looks like another Dolphins player not properly utilized goes to another team and catches fire.

...and then there was one undefeated team. ;)

Despite this setback, I am confident in NE’s chances at winning the AFCE.

I still expect NE to represent the AFC in the SB this year...and am crossing my fingers that the 49ers can keep up the pace.

The 72 Dolphins are Seahawk fans this week.

Well so much for undefeated.  Still think 49rs and Pats in SB

I wouldn't bet on that.   I'm taking the 'Hawks and the Ravens.

I wouldn't bet on that... ;)

This is definitely Captain Hindsight speaking, but maybe San Francisco should have taken the tie.

8-0-1

7-2-1

I would have called a draw play from Shotgun formation on first down, to see if it went anywhere. 

If it did, I would open up and play for the win.

If it did not, I would just run out the clock and take the tie.

Well, yes: if given a choice between a loss and a tie, nearly every team would take a tie.  I believe the issue is that SF was trying to get a win.

Well, obviously they were trying to get the win, the debate is whether they handled it right. 

They had the lead in the division, so there would be nothing wrong with a tie.

They had the ball at their own twenty with about 1:50 and Seattle out of timeouts.

By throwing two passes, they eliminated their safety option of running down the clock and preserving the tie.  Running the ball on third down wouldn't have run enough clock to preserve the tie.

I am curious to know, how would you (all) have handled it in that situation?

I definitely would have called a running play on one of the first two plays, to retain the option of keeping the tie and not allowing my closest rival to gain ground in the division.  

You're essentially saying that in hindsight since they didn't win, they shouldn't have even tried to win.

I am saying I would have tried to win, but kept the option for a tie as well.

Would you have gone straight out for the win?

An undefeated team giving up and playing for the tie is more self-demoralizing than an actual loss.  What would that say about the coach's confidence in the team?  In himself?

I would say it's a good understanding of knowing situations and standings.

A tie is NEVER more demoralizing than a loss.

Now, if the teams were reversed and Seattle had the ball, in that situation, I would have gone for the win because you need to make up ground in the division. 

But with a one and half game lead, it's not necessary to take needless risks.

Quitting is more demoralizing than trying and being unsuccessful, especially with an undefeated season on the line.  It says the coach has no confidence in the team.

If you can't see that, I don't know what to tell you.

First off, I'm not saying quitting.  Quitting would be kneeling three times.  This WOULD be appropriate in a situation where a tie would get you in the playoffs, like with the Broncos in 2006.

Second, doing it my way would have PRESERVED the undefeated season.

Thirdly, there is a difference between having no confidence and not taking unnecessary risks.

I think the play calling was faulty. 

Congratulations, dolphins4life...you've met your November quota of ridiculousness with more than two weeks left in the month.

 ::)

If making sure I don't leave my opponents with any time left to come back and win a game is ridiculous, then by all means, sign me up for the ridiculousness house.

I definitely would have have run the ball and let some time run on one of the first two plays.

Let's go one step further:  Let's say it's a situation where a tie gets you into the playoffs.  If that's the case, I WOULD take the three knees.  Would you?

Any time you don't go for the win before going for the win is no longer possible...is ridiculous.

Wrong.

What about the scenario I just described?  If a tie would put you in the playoffs, and you have a chance to run out the clock in overtime, why wouldn't you do it?  (Assuming a win and tie gives you the same seed)

Also, do you and Spider read my posts?  In the situation SF was in on Monday, I never said don't go for the win.   I said call a play that enables you to go for the win, but also allows you to keep the tie.  Run the ball on the first down.  Let some clock run.  Then, try a pass.  If it works, great, go for the win.  You have one timeout to work with.

But if it doesn't work out, take the tie and don't risk losing for a very small chance of winning.

If Flores is in the situation against NE in Week 17, and a Patriots loss or tie stops them from clinching home field, I hope he does what I suggested.

Sounds like you think SF's goal should have been a tie.  Achieving that goal would have been easy... by quitting.

In exactly the same sense that NE had a "Perfect Season" in 2007, sure.

I said it would have preserved an UNDEFEATED SEASON

8-0-1 is undefeated.

Also, I never said SF's goal should be a tie.  I said that they should have tried to win, but kept the option for taking a tie, and not risked giving Seattle the chance to win the game.

An example might be Super Bowl 36, when John Madden said the Patriots should run out the clock and play for overtime.   Neither team had timeouts in that game.

The Patriots didn't sit on the ball, but they started the drive with two safe easy passes and let some clock run.  Then they spiked the ball with 41 seconds left.  This ensured that they would be the only team that would have a chance to win the game in regulation.

I did mistype my first post.  I should have said maybe San Francisco should have left the option for a tie open to them.
 

But 16-0 IS a perfect season, sir.
Just like 8-0-1 is undefeated.

I think I understand it.

Are you saying that the risk of losing was worth it for the goal of maintaining a perfect season?

I understand that you posed this question to Spidey-dude, but since the answer is so obvious...

Not once during that game did Kyle Shanahan consider the possibility of a perfect season when calling plays. His goal is always to win that game...until it is impossible to win that game.

I think perhaps you're the one who isn't reading posts...

I think the Titans have a shot at the AFC title game. 

:)

Titans have a tough schedule coming up, if they can win enough down the  stretch  to make the playoffs (unlikely) then they will be dangerous in the playoffs.

If I had to pick just one person from here to sit down and exchange stories and drink beer with.............

Next time you make to Boca...let me know. ;)

Are you saying that, if you had a chance to run out the clock and get a tie in overtime that would get you into the playoffs, that you would instead play for a win and risk a loss that would knock you out of the playoffs?

I understand that you are trying to engineer a scenario under which a tie is a preferable outcome.  However, week 17 hypotheticals are not relevant to this discussion.

For example, if you are a (non-undefeated) team who has clinched a playoff berth and you can neither improve nor worsen your seed, it makes sense not to play your best players for what is essentially an exhibition game.  But that doesn't mean that Kyle Shanahan should be sitting his best players in Week 10.  So while it would make sense in that hypothetical scenario for a coach to literally not care if his team wins, that tells us nothing about the decision making process of the game that took place last week.

The 49ers took that first step on the three week "Are they for real" gauntlet tour, dominating the Packers 37-8. Next up, a road trip to the seriously scary Baltimore Ravens before visiting the Saints in New Orleans.

Still not back at full strength...could really use Staley and Breida to get our offense up to 100%, but that defense sure looks about as legit as it gets.

^^^ SF has thee most difficult schedule going forward.  If they come through this strong, with few injuries, they have to be a SB favorite.

I think that if they go 3-0 over this gauntlet, they have to be considered THE SB favorite...  :o

Keep in mind you wind up the season in Seattle who beat you at home and is only a game behind you.   They keep pace and that game will be for all the marbles.  Hell, if I was the NFL, I'd flex that game to Sunday night.

They beat us with roughly 1/3 of our roster on the injured list. I'm looking forward to the payback. :-)

One hell of a turnaround for your 49'ers.  They are a REALLY good team. 

I am pretty sure the AFCCG will be Patriots and Ravens.....lot less certain about the winner.

Your boys need to win out.   Baltimore is only a game behind you and in any tiebreaker, they have the win against you.  I'm sure the Pats will be more difficult to beat in Foxboro than in the Inner Harbor.

Thanks to Houston, if things stay the way they are, the patriots will have to go through Baltimore.

Of course that means that pats will have to root for Buffalo to beat the Ravens.

I didn’t say where.  I just predicted the two teams.

Yeah, I am a Buffalo fan this week.  A lot easier to stomach that then rooting for the Jets the following week.

And a much better chance of a happy ending

True. Jets beating Ravens would be an utter shock.

I'm not seeing this at all.  Patriots look great when they are playing the Jets and the Dolphins, causing turnovers and only having to drive 25 yards for a score.  They look completely different against half way decent teams. 

If a team can run the ball (and has mobility under center) they can beat NE.  I'm not sure they make it to the AFC title game this year.  When the defense doesn't play out of it's mind the offense can't get out of it's own way.

I would agree but the problem is NE plays their best football at the end of the season. I'm not so sure playoff Patriots is the same team that you saw lose to the Texans.

Normally you're right but I'm still sticking with what I'm seeing.  And what I'm seeing is Tom Brady turning into the Peyton Manning in 2014/2015..... a guy whose body could no longer do what his mind commanded it to do.

It was just last week, it's not like they played a month ago.  I'm not sure how you can say this.  NE usually has it's falter (if any) October, early November.  By now they have things under control, they aren't going into games like last week and getting stomped.  And, let's be clear - last week was a stomping.  NE put together a couple scores in garbage time, they had no shot to win that game.

Teams get stomped in this league, NE traditionally hasn't been one of them.

Right now my AFC title game is KC - Baltimore; I'm still holding out hope for the Titans.  NE doesn't make it out of the 2nd round.

NE is hard to beat at home with an extra week of rest. Going down to Baltimore and winning on the road, less likely. 

Got to actually secure a first round bye first.  I'm not sure that will happen, we will see.

They would have to falter pretty bad down the home stretch to blow a two game lead on the #2 seed.  (and need to get real lucky to get the #1 seed) 

They took a huge step towards doing exactly that today losing at home to KC.  First home loss by the Pats since Oct 2017.   If KC runs the table and New England loses one of their remaining three games, New England falls to the #3 seed which means no first round bye. 

That game was the most ridiculous game I have seen so far this year.

Quick whistle negated what should have been a Patriot fumble return for a touchdown.

Then, the Patriots player clearly scored a touchdown, but was ruled out of bounds, forcing the Patriots to settle for a field goal.

Then, a blatant no call on the Patriots final drive.

I really hope this is not a sign of things to come in the playoffs.  If the Patriots lose, I want it to be fair and square.

I think I also I am going to coin a new phrase from this game.  PT.  This is short for Patriots Turnover.   This means a turnover that the Patriots force (or their opponent just hands to them) when everything is going perfectly for their opponents.  They got one today, when Kelce SHOULD have just gone down since he had the first down.

The Patriots will still likely win the Super Bowl because their opponents will panic and self-destruct.

Sometimes I do wonder if something is going on behind the scenes.   I mean, bad calls happen, but they usually aren't so one-sided in a game

except those plays happened before a call that was clearly a 15 yard penalty on the patriots when Patrick Mahomes was thrown into the ground while already out of bounds, even the announces said it should have been a penalty. It works both ways on the bad calls.

This was just a poorly officiated game. Still good to see the patsies lose, but they realistically should have the win.

It was just like the Ravens game, when the Ravens were rolling, and then fumbled the punt.

That’s a smart post.
:)

Kudos to you, sir!  Quite the post, indeed.   :)

Either way, I'm happy for the Titans and, as stated before in prior post(s) in past few weeks/months, Tanney in particular!!

Wow...still can't believe they took down both teams that I'm not particularly fond of at all in the AFC beyond just AFC East teams in general (though Patriots' disdain much outweighs what I have against B'more, for obvious reasons), in both of their houses.  So awesome....

Just wish it could be our team doing that kind of work, but oh well....maybe one day in the not-forever-distant future!!

I can't see the Titans beating KC in KC.  Baltimore was essentially a one man team that relied on the other defense guessing.   KC has much more firepower. 

Agreed. I was shocked when I saw Baltimore play in primetime and they had a college offense with so many draw plays setup. Take an early lead against them and they have to pass more and it's really not the same. Lamar has room to grow and it's hard to not say he is very talented but he needs to learn how to be a QB more and stop relying on those legs when he can't make a tight throw.

I would take KC too but you can't discount Henry right now, nor can you discount Tanny's ability to just get it done when he needs to.

They already beat KC this year once and I'm here to tell the world they are going to do it again.

49ers - Titans SB.  It's not sexy, but that's what it's going to be.  Ground and pound.

The 49ers destroyed Green Bay in week 12, without Dee Ford or Kwon Alexander. I think they destroy them again in the NFC Championship.

Kansas City vs Tennessee should be an insanely good game to watch, but Mahomes can do pretty much anything he wants on the field, so I think they'll beat Tennessee, but I will definitely be pulling for Tannehill and Henry in that one.

I think KC was, actually, really lucky to win the game yesterday.  Houston got a little too cute and gave the game away.  Up 24 you punt, period, and play ball.  That game ended on that play.

The Titans are going to be a completely different beast next week.  Houston can't run the ball, can't control the clock and can't stop a fat kid from a doughnut. 

That was definitely one of the worst play calls in playoff history but they basically scored the next 41 points so I can't credit all of that to luck and bad Texans coaching.

And they scored nada before that.  I think that play swung the entire game.

And that's why we play the games! hahaha

Anyone who thought KC's first quarter dropsies were going to last the entire game was crazy.  Even at 24-0 it was obvious that KC was going to start scoring eventually.  Too many of their problems were due to bad luck.

Sorry, but no single play causes you to give up six straight TDs while scoring nothing on your end.  The Texans suffered an abrupt and severe reversion to the mean.  KC having a scoreless first quarter does not mean that game was somehow HOU's to lose.