In essence, Dolphins start their playoffs in Oakland

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

IMHO, if week 17 a loss can make you the first pick instead of the second and there is a clear #1 pick....I could see tanking...otherwise no. 

To those who want us to lose games for a better pick:

When has that ever worked? 

[Spider-Dan]

One more thing: we currently have a #2 overall and #1 overall pick (that we drafted) on our roster.  Neither are busts.  How many more do we need on our team before we are "ready"?

[Pappy13]

Because I never root for my team to lose and seriously doubt any "fan" that does.

Let's be clear, I didn't say I was rooting for them to lose, I said I'd rather have them lose by 30 than win by 3.  I'm rooting for them to win by 30.

[Phishfan]

^^^ But if they don't you would rather they lose. Your words not mine. I'd never say I want my team to lose and you basically did.

[Pappy13]

^^^ But if they don't you would rather they lose. Your words not mine. I'd never say I want my team to lose and you basically did.

Well I guess I don't buy into the whole notion that you get style points in football.  Either you are a good team or your not.  Mediocre isn't really any better than bad in my humble opinion.  Mediocre is what Miami has been for the better part of 10 years now and frankly I'm tired of it.  It's gonna take changes to get Miami back to good.  Real changes.  Not simply making fewer mistakes, but making more big plays than your opponent.  The only way to make big plays is to TRY to make big plays.  Hell Buffalo is making big plays.  If you asked me which team I'd rather have right now, Miami or Buffalo, I'd take Buffalo.  That's pretty damn sad.

[Spider-Dan]

Really?  So you didn't mind 2007, when we struggled to win a single game?  When we lost to even the garbage dreck of the league, and lost twice to a Jets team that went 2-12 against everyone else?  When we are eliminated from any sort of postseason hopes before the halfway mark?  You prefer that to a 9-7 season?  I don't think you're going to have much company.

I don't even understand what your goal is.  Do you think we are going to go straight from 3-13 to Super Bowl champions?  Shouldn't there be some mediocrity in between?

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Well I guess I don't buy into the whole notion that you get style points in football. 

I agree.  If my team gets a W, I don't care if it is by 1 point or 60, as long as it is a W.  I would take a 1 point win over a 30 point loss any day of the week and twice on Sundays. 

[Pappy13]

Really?  So you didn't mind 2007, when we struggled to win a single game?  When we lost to even the garbage dreck of the league, and lost twice to a Jets team that went 2-12 against everyone else?  When we are eliminated from any sort of postseason hopes before the halfway mark?  You prefer that to a 9-7 season?  I don't think you're going to have much company.

I don't even understand what your goal is.  Do you think we are going to go straight from 3-13 to Super Bowl champions?  Shouldn't there be some mediocrity in between?

No, I hated 2007.  Just like I hated 2006, 2009 and now 2010.  Maybe winning 8 or 9 games is OK with you, but it's not for me, I want more.  I got news for you, we were eliminated from any serious postseason hopes at the halfway mark of THIS year.  I'm not saying that I'm not gonna support the team anymore, I'll be right there on Sunday cheering them on and I'll be right here on Monday bitching about if they lose.  Sorry, but that for me is the definition of a Dolphins fan.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Do you think we are going to go straight from 3-13 to Super Bowl champions? 

Theoretically, a team could go 3-13 during the regular season and win the superbowl.  (not likely but 3-13 is the theoretical worst record a team could have an make the playoffs. 

How, you may ask.  Well all four teams in the division would need to lose all 10 non-division games.  And all 4 division teams would need to split each division series.  That would give all 4 way tie at 3-13.  One of the teams would must be the division winner and would get the #4 seed and host a home game wild card weekend.  The first relevant tie breaker would be strength of schedule.  Get hot and win the next 4 and with a 7-13 combined regular and post season record be the world champions. 

[Phishfan]

Well I guess I don't buy into the whole notion that you get style points in football. 

This completely contradicts your win by 30 or lose mentality of earlier.

[Pappy13]

I agree.  If my team gets a W, I don't care if it is by 1 point or 60, as long as it is a W.  I would take a 1 point win over a 30 point loss any day of the week and twice on Sundays. 

I don't agree.  There are times when a W isn't as important as the big picture, like once you know you are out of the playoffs which is where Miami now sits.  Every team starts with the goal of making the playoffs, but once you know that is no longer an attainable goal, then your goal changes or at least it should change.  The goal of this team now is NEXT year's playoffs.  That's the only real goal this team has now.  If you ask me if I would sacrifice that goal of making the playoffs NEXT year for winning a game this year, I'll say absolutely not.  That's the reason they should shut down Jake Long for the remainder of the year, to make sure he's ready for next year.

Now if you aren't sacrificing that goal, that's fine, so let's not take what I said out of context.  I didn't say I would rather lose than win by 3 points.  That's not what I said.  I said I would rather lose a game than simply try not to lose.  Trying not to lose games is different from trying to win them.  Sparano seems to think you can win games just by eliminating mistakes, ie trying not to lose.  I don't.  I think to win games you have to try to win.  You have to take chances.  You have to attempt to make the plays that will win the game for you, not simply avoid making mistakes by trying "safe" plays.  I'd rather lose by 30 trying to win than win by 3 trying not to lose for the remainder of the year.  That's what I said and I stand by it.

[Pappy13]

This completely contradicts your win by 30 or lose mentality of earlier.

I don't think you really understand what I said.  Read the previous post by me and see if that clears it up any.

[Pappy13]

Let me give ya'll another example of what I'm talking about.

I'd love to have Mike Martz as our offensive coordinator.  There are people that think Mike Martz is too aggressive and that his style only works if you have the necessary players to pull it off and if you don't then you take too many risks.  Well I don't believe there is such a thing as being too aggressive on offense and I also don't believe that there are any pre-requisites to which players can pull it off.  I believe that all you really need to pull it off is 11 guys who believe 100% that you can pull it off and time.  Given enough time, anyone can be taught how to run his offense, but they have to buy in and they have to buy in 100%.  You can't have guys that don't believe it will work.  If you don't believe it will work, then it won't.  But if you believe it will work then it will work.  It may not happen right away, but eventually it will.  How long it takes is the only question.

In some ways I believe the same is true on the defensive side of the ball.  You must be aggressive and you must have guys that buy into the scheme.

In my mind, if you could get both your offense and your defense thinking that way, you would blow people out.  That's what St. Louis did back when they were winning Super Bowls.  Now it's not always going to work.  There are times that all that gambling isn't gonna pay off and you're going to have to take your lumps.  There are games when you are gonna lose by 30.  But that's ok, because there are games you are gonna win by 30 too.  That's what I want.  Try to win by 30.  If you fail and you lose by 30, I'm OK with that.  What I'm NOT okay with is playing it safe and hoping to squeek by in every game.  Maybe some people like that approach, but I don't.  To me that's a lack of confidence.  A lack of confidence in yourself and a lack of confidence in your players.  Give me Mike Martz any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[hordman]

Like it says on the back of my favorite TDMMC t-shirt...

"Almost there...since 1974."

I WANT THAT SHIRT!!!!

when are they gonna put that back in stock?!?!?  that's essential for every tru Dolphins fan!

[Philly Fin Fan]

I WANT THAT SHIRT!!!!

when are they gonna put that back in stock?!?!?  that's essential for every tru Dolphins fan!

We made these about 7 years ago (?). Haven't had them in awhile. We had another batch as well, with a different saying. There's a thread in the Off-Topic forum titled "TDMMC Tshirts across America" which shows them.