Ryan Tannehill to start the season as the number 1 QB

[Doc-phin]

All I know is Tannehill was slow getting rid of the ball and Moore looked like he pretty much knew where the ball should go before the snap.  That is a big deal for a NFL quarterback.

I am not excited by this move if it is true.  I wish I could get a refund on my Sunday ticket.  I can't see how this year is going to be any good unless we can really get our run game going.  Boring!  Did we really have all that much to lose by letting a veteran start the season and bring the rookie in if things go bad?  At least there would have been some hope to start the season off with.

Are there any vehicles with two clutches?  I am looking for a nickname for Tannehill for this year.

[Spider-Dan]

Again with the #6 scoring defense? Seriously? Why do you never mention they were the 27th scoring D in the 4th or that they were the 15th over defense in the league? The "6th best scoring defense" is as misleading about them as you can get.

As much as statements of fact can be "misleading," sure.

As you are so fond of pointing out, the team plays 4 quarters of football.  And while you might like to pretend that the 4th quarter is the only one that counts, it is no more important than any other quarter.  You don't get a half-win for allowing 3 TDs in the first half and then shutting them out (en route to a loss) in the second half.  Mark Sanchez can attest to this personally.

The bottom line is that when you account for the entire game, the Dolphins had the 6th-best scoring defense in the league.

[Pappy13]

All I know is Tannehill was slow getting rid of the ball and Moore looked like he pretty much knew where the ball should go before the snap.

Which game?

[EKnight]

As much as statements of fact can be "misleading," sure.

As you are so fond of pointing out, the team plays 4 quarters of football.  And while you might like to pretend that the 4th quarter is the only one that counts, it is no more important than any other quarter.  You don't get a half-win for allowing 3 TDs in the first half and then shutting them out (en route to a loss) in the second half.  Mark Sanchez can attest to this personally.

The bottom line is that when you account for the entire game, the Dolphins had the 6th-best scoring defense in the league.

That's fine and dandy, but when it is repeatedly pointed out how the defense was the "6th best scoring" D in the whole NFL, there's an expectation that comes with it, and that expectation is not 6-10. No one gives a crap about scoring defense when every team you play knows when the game comes down to it they can burn your secondary and pull out a win. -EK

[Doc-phin]

Which game?

2nd Preseason

[MikeO]

As much as statements of fact can be "misleading," sure.

As you are so fond of pointing out, the team plays 4 quarters of football.  And while you might like to pretend that the 4th quarter is the only one that counts, it is no more important than any other quarter.  You don't get a half-win for allowing 3 TDs in the first half and then shutting them out (en route to a loss) in the second half.  Mark Sanchez can attest to this personally.

The bottom line is that when you account for the entire game, the Dolphins had the 6th-best scoring defense in the league.

Spider just nailed it. Home Run Post! Football is a 4 quarter game. NOT JUST the 4th quarter. All the stats from All the quarters count. Only 5 teams gave up fewer points than Miami last year. I don't care which quarter they gave the points up in! That is meaningless. What that silly 4th quarter defensive ranking proves is the Defense was GREAT the first 3 quarters and was worn down late in games because it had no f'n help from the offense! They were on the field all day and got not help. That is what that stat proves, it helps proves MY point! Once again, Matt Moore's fault! Any way you spin the stat it comes back to being Matt Moore's fault and the way he lead the offense. He had a 1,000 yard rusher and a so called "TOP" WR and he still couldn't do anything with this offense. It always comes back to Moore.

And since they were 6-10  and STILL had the #6 scoring defense, that slaps most reasonable people in the face that the Dolphins offense sucked. And it did. The offense is why this team lost many games. NOT the defense! While I say that, I NOR ANYONE IS CLAIMING THE FINS DEFENSE WAS ELITE OR SOME GREAT UNIT! It wasn't! It was just very very good! And maybe Miami SUCKS this year on defense under Coyle, I don't know. If they do I will say it. But in 2011 it is a FACT that they were a very good defense that gave up few points! That can't be denied. This year in 2012, we will see.  Maybe they suck maybe they are great, maybe they are just the same as last year. I don't know. All i do know is I judge each year individually. So time will tell.

Nobody expected or asked Matt Moore to win games by himself in 2011, all he was asked to do was NOT lose them by making the big mistake. Just manage the game.  And Moore made the big mistake over and over and over again in big spots (especially vs teams that were good, ie Giants, Denver, Dallas, NE.) Moore lost this team games. That's why he is the backup now and he is shopping for these....

http://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Recycled-Hardboard-Clipboard-05612/dp/B000783SRW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1345673237&sr=8-3&keywords=clipboard

http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-Miami-Dolphins-Sideline-Structured/dp/B005I6VK4G/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1345673257&sr=1-1&keywords=miami+dolphins+baseball+cap

[EKnight]

While I say that, I NOR ANYONE IS CLAIMING THE FINS DEFENSE WAS ELITE OR SOME GREAT UNIT! It wasn't! It was just very very good!

So 15th in the league is very very good? Stop cherry picking the "6th scoring" stat and look at the ENTIRE defense. Since you're so hung up on looking at the entire game, look at the entire defense. Using your own words, it "slaps most reasonable people in the face" that the Dolphins defense- at 15th overall, is not very very good. Out of 32 teams, 15th means they are almost the definition of average- not very, very good, not very good, not good. Average. For every time you pop off about the 6th ranked scoring stuff, keep in mind that against the pass they were 25th. See? I can cherry pick stats, too! In what world, please, please, PLEASE tell me, does the 15th ranked defense in football amount to "very, very good?" This is the most laughable thing I've ever seen. -EK

[MikeO]

In a world where only 5 teams gave up fewer points in the entire league. Only stat that matters.  How much did ya give up total.  Because in the NFL they keep score in points! The fewer ya give up the better of a defense you are. PERIOD!

But lets not have this debate for the 10,000,000th time. You ain't changing my mind so save yourself the trouble of trying. Let's not go in circles...again! You know where I stand I know where you stand.  It's last years stats anyway, so who cares. Time to move on to this year.

[Pappy13]

2nd Preseason

The game where Moore was 5 of 15 against 2nd and 3rd string defense and Tannehill was 11 of 22 against first string defense? It seemed to you that Tannehill was slow in getting the ball out and Moore seemed to know where to go with the ball before the snap? Well if that's the case then Moore's accuracy is suspect or his pre-snap reads were wrong and since Tannehill was still able to complete more passes against the 1st string defense even though he was slow getting the ball out, imagine how good he'll be once he's able to get the ball out on time.

[Spider-Dan]

That's fine and dandy, but when it is repeatedly pointed out how the defense was the "6th best scoring" D in the whole NFL, there's an expectation that comes with it, and that expectation is not 6-10.

You're right; it isn't.  With the 20th ranked offense that MIA fielded last year, the expectation should have been around 8-9 wins.  However, if you are determined to find a unit to place blame on, the defense is not the right choice:

Of the 13 defenses MIA faced, only 2 allowed fewer points on the season than MIA's did.
Of the 13 offenses MIA faced, 9 scored more points on the season than MIA's did.

Want more facts?  Look at who they played:

Games against top 10 scoring offenses: 6 (NE, NE, SD, NYG, PHI, HOU)
Games against bottom 10 scoring offenses: 4 (CLE, KC, DEN, WSH)

Games against top 10 scoring defenses: 3 (HOU, CLE, PHI)
Games against bottom 10 scoring defenses: 6 (SD, DEN, NYG, BUF, BUF, OAK)

The offense had a significantly easier road than the defense and they still performed MUCH, MUCH WORSE.

How many more ways do I have to put it?  The offense was the reason the team sucked in 2011.

[MikeO]

You're right; it isn't.  With the 20th ranked offense that MIA fielded last year, the expectation should have been around 8-9 wins.  However, if you are determined to find a unit to place blame on, the defense is not the right choice:

Of the 13 defenses MIA faced, only 2 allowed fewer points on the season than MIA's did.
Of the 13 offenses MIA faced, 9 scored more points on the season than MIA's did.

Want more facts?  Look at who they played:

Games against top 10 scoring offenses: 6 (NE, NE, SD, NYG, PHI, HOU)
Games against bottom 10 scoring offenses: 4 (CLE, KC, DEN, WSH)

Games against top 10 scoring defenses: 3 (HOU, CLE, PHI)
Games against bottom 10 scoring defenses: 6 (SD, DEN, NYG, BUF, BUF, OAK)

The offense had a significantly easier road than the defense and they still performed MUCH, MUCH WORSE.

How many more ways do I have to put it?  The offense was the reason the team sucked in 2011.

Another home run post by Spider Dan! On fire today!

[EKnight]

Spider- it doesn't matter how many ways you put it. I disagree. I'm clearly not the only one. You can continue presenting your POV in any way you wish. You will never- under any circumstance- convince me that the 15th ranked D, that gave up fourth quarter leads in what- 5 or 6 games?- is not blameless in Miami's horrible season. Nor will Mike ever convince me that #15 is "very, very good." You can both save your breath. -EK

[badger6]

The offense and the defense sucked last year. Hell, the whole team sucked last year. If you want to blame someone, blame the coaching staff and the front office.

[el diablo]

The offense and the defense sucked last year. Hell, the whole team sucked last year. If you want to blame someone, blame the coaching staff and the front office.

Exactly. The offense and defense both had good and bad moments during the season. There were times when they were ahead late. And failed to hold on. There were times they were behind and they failed to catch up. That falls on the coaching staff. On the surface a 6-10 record suggests that one side of the ball was significantly worse than the other.  Not entirely true.
Spider did a great job in breaking down the season. However, it was still misleading. New England had top 10 scoring offense. However, they weren't in the bottom or top 10 in scoring defense. Our offense scored more than their average in both. So why was that a sweep?
 Denver was bottom 10 in both offense & defense. That was a loss. Both SD & NYG had top 10 offenses and bottom 10 defenses. Both losses. Against the bottom 10 in offense we went 2-2. Against the bottom 10 in defense, we went 3-3. They even out. Much like the offense scoring 20.6/GM, while the defense gave up 19.6/GM. To say it was the "offense's fault" is not entirely accurate. They both failed to step up in critical moments.

[Spider-Dan]

We played 6 games against bottom-10 defenses and still finished with a low-ranked offense.
We played 6 games against top-10 offenses and still finished with a high-ranked defense.

Seems pretty straightforward to me.