They had a better season last year than most of us predicted. Someone around here even had to ingest a bowl of paper clips if memory serves correctly. I agree with you about the group of headcases they are bringing on, but Saban is proving that he's a pretty good coach starting out the first season. I am willing to wait and see what happens with this year before leaping one way or another on the issue.
Yeah, well Marvin Lewis is a pretty good coach too... but the Bengals keep acquiring players who are pieces of shit and now they will feel the ramifications. That team, which should improve on last year, will not. They are going to be the battling with Cleveland over 3rd place in that division.
He's a 3 time Pro Bowler, and before having one bad season in 2005, was considered one of the best QB's in the league. He's a huge upgrade over Frerotte no matter how you spin it.... Riiiiiiiiiiiight. The guy has two horrible games to start the season, and all of a sudden he's the worst QB in the league. PLEASE.... Why does Culpepper have no excuses??... He lost WR R. Moss / his Offensive Coordinator / and half of his starting OL to injury. He had plenty of excuses if he needed them in my opinion.... Have you seen Harrington start any games at QB for the Miami Dolphins???... Didn't think so. Until we see him in action as a Dolphin QB, who cares what he did / didn't do elsewhere?? Different team / different circumstances.... In Harrington's defense as a back-up QB. He looks better than Ramsey does.... He doesn't have to be a stud, but he does need to carry the load as the featured back this year. He's a bull, and if can stay healthy, he should be able to have a monster season. He's a year stronger / faster / and wiser. He'll also have the benefit of having a strong armed QB, and that will prevent defenses from stacking the line. Brown is prepared to shine this year, and even though he wont make us forget about Ricky, he'll do his best. I have confidence in him, and expect big things now that he no longer has Ricky stealing carries. Time will tell.... Our secondary was fading in the closing of Wanny's tenure as HC. Saban / Capers have basically rebuilt the secondary from the ground up, and although there aren't many standout names back there, they'll play tighter in the new schemes being installed this year.... I think people are highly underrating the Phinz changes in the secondary this off-season. There's plenty of players back there, and it's the coaching that really makes the difference in my opinion. Having Capers is a huge factor, and knowing that Saban is a secondary mastermind, I expect improvement on a yearly basis as a result. Let's not forget about how a great pass rush can help matters in the secondary, and Miami has one of the best..... Who cares how old players are, as long as they still produce at an elite level???...Thomas, even at his age, is still among the best MLB's in the game. Until that changes, who cares how old Thomas is???... We don't need tons of PBler's to field a great defense. You need players who buy into the coaching system, and believe in themselves as a team. Coaching is the key, and Saban knows how to get that done. Let's just put it this way, Miami's defense should be stronger than it was a year ago.... Just adding Culpepper alone should be enough to win the division. As for greatness, that's another chapter to the story all together. I don't expect greatness, but I do expect to win the division, and make a playoff run of some sort this year. The 2007 season is when I'/m going to be expecting great things....
Okay, I can see your side... but nothing that you responded with creates a rationale for why the media already has the 2006 Dolphins as contenders... they have way too many "if this works out..." situations to be favored as heavily as they are. Do I think they will be terrible? No. In fact many of your repsonses speak to the upside of the "if this works out..." scenarios. I would just think that a team with that many situations that need to pan out in there favor would not be as highly touted, for no other reason than being realistic. Lets face it, all those things won't work out perfect. I think the Dolphins should be talked about as a great sleeper team, because if everything go as planned... they will be great. But its irresponsible of the media to discuss the team as a favorite to do anything until they establish exactly what they will be able to accomplish on the field. Even the Steelers haven't been given the benefit of the doubt to do well this season, so the Dolphins certainly don't deserve it.
Bottom line : Miami was a decent team a year ago, but it took some time for it all to come together. We almost won the division in the process.... Well, we're better this year, and for that reason Miami should be considered a strong favorite to win the division. That's just using common sense in my opinion. Maybe not yours, but most people around the league / media seem to think so....
Bottom line is that Dante Culpepper has had one winning season as an NFL QB, and he is coming off a serious injury. Not to mention that the winning season came with Randy Moss as his #1 wide receiver and it wasn't even a year in which they made the playoffs.
Most people around the league / media should also understand that every other team in the league had the same amount of time during the offseason to improve their teams, so there are 31 other teams with the perception that they will be better this year than they were last year... and every team in the league starts at 0-0. The ceiling for the Dolphins is directly tied to a bunch of gambles panning out... last time I check the media never has anything optimistic to report about, but for some reason the Dolphins have managed to buck the trend. The media is basically assuming that everything will work out just fine and all the chances that Saban took this offseason with the players he has acquired will work out. What happens if / when they don't?
Where are these gambles you keep speaking of??.... All the chances Saban took??...Like trading a 2nd round pick for a PB QB??... All that needs to be understood, is that Miami is a stronger team than they were a year ago. If that's not enough to be a strong contender to win the division, what is enough???....
Culpeper is a gamble, Harrington is a gamble, their first round pick Allen is a gamble b/c of his injury, LJ Shelton is a gamble. Do I need to name any more? Plus they lost both of their starting CB's from last year. Are you telling me that adding a bum-legged choke artist quarterback who loves to throw interceptions is making your team better right away? You could have just brought Marino out of retirement to do that.
Not admitting that trading for Daunte's shredded knee was a gamble, that will or won't pay off, is naive. I was enjoying the discussion until this... your bias is strong, your inability to admit Miami is ONLY a stronger team this year than they were last year if all the new players work out is silly. The situation is that Miami, like every other team thinks they got better in the offseason, but until all the new acquisitions work out... they are 0-0, like everyone else. The odds are not in favor of Miami simply because the new acquisitions are coming off major injuries or have track records of being difficult players... whereas there are many other teams that made acquisitions in the offseason of players that are fully healthy and brought in rookies that have positive, winning attitudes. You know what team got better this offseason and should be the talk of the NFL? The Carolina Panthers, they deserve much more attention than Miami.
What makes all of those players a gamble when comparing them to the players they are replacing??.... Culpepper > Frerotte Harrington > Feeley / Rosenfels Some gamble that is!!!.... As for Allen, and what he'll contribute as a rookie, nobody really knows yet. We're certainly not any weaker in the secondary after drafting him though. Make sense???... LT LJ Shelton is considered an upgrade over McIntosh thus far. Not to mention we still have all of our 2005 OL starters on the current roster as well in case of emergency.... The only player you listed as clear gamble would be Harrington, but since he's not expect to be our starting QB right now, there's really no need to press the issue at this time. If Culpepper faces any setbacks, then we can start talking about Harrington and the effects he'll have at starting QB for the Phinz.... We lost one CB {Madison}. On top of that, he had become our weakest link. This off-season, Saban / Capers have made upgrading the secondary a major priority, and they brought in a large amount of competition as well. I'm confident that the Phinz secondary will be improved with the new faces. It really shouldn't be that difficult.... Yes, that's what I'm telling you.....
I think Blitz has made very valid points, all of them are debatable. but the biggest point I think Blitz is trying to make is that Harrington/Culpepper are better QB's then anyone whos put on a Phin uniform since Marino. Does the media overhype Miami? I believe so, but how could they not? It is the media afterall, thats what they do. theyll augment any negative or positive they can get their hands on. Teams that finish strong always have alot of preseason hype, just or unjust. Do I think Culpepper will play at a pro bowl level in Miami? probably not. Do I think Culpepper makes them a better team then they were last yr? definitely. Regardless of all the gambles theyve taken in FA, I think the biggest factor to the Phins success solely lies on the shoulders of Ronnie Brown. If he finally carries the load and lives up to potential this yr then the Phins will definitely be challenging the Pats. If they try to show off their new toy(ie. Culpepper) and ask him to win games like he did in his Minny glory days, it wont happen. Culpepper just needs to manage the game and launch some deep balls to Chambers. (20-25 attempts a game) in conclusion thats all theory and sounds all pretty, I dont like labeling teams abilities till halfway through the season honestly, but I do believe the Phins should be better. Us jets fans are still waiting for the age to show in the MIA defense, hopefully its the yr. theres alot of factors to be accounted for, regardless I think the divisional games will be a coin toss even for the Jets and Bills.
how are the Dolphins any different then us, an unhealthy QB in Culpepper with a Life long Scrub backup in Harrington. A new Young inexperienced head coach, a defence which is missing its top players from a few years ago, and 1 Good WR and the rest are average to below average. The only thing that stand out for the Dolphins is there RB and look at the past sucessful teams in years past, aside from the Colts, the runningbacks dont really win big games, maybe its because i hate the Fins so much but i dont see them as a division winner.
NE will beat Miami both games. EASILY in fact. You barely beat NE last year with the JV playing the second half. NE has Harrison and Bruschi back this year with a healthy Seymour and a stud rookie running back who will run in tandem with a threatened Cory Dillon to shred the Dolphins patchwork D-line.
It's the same for Culpepper, as it is for any other QB coming off of a season ending injury. That doesn't make Culpepper any more of a gamble than say Palmer / Brees / Pennington / or any other QB facing similar circumstances.... Maybe it was a bit of a gamble, but certainly not one that was taken blindly. Saban did his homework prior to making this trade, and had he seen something that didn't sit right, he wouldn't have pulled the trigger.... I've been to the camps, and everything I've seen from Culpepper thus far, leaves me very comfortable in his abilities to make our QB situation much stronger. Anyone who would question this move, needs to look at the big picture, and realize the overall impact a QB like Culpepper can bring to the table.... What so silly about believing that the Phinz are capable of build off of a solid 2005 season?? Is adding a proven QB like Culpepper considered a bad place to start by your standards???..... So what exactly is it, that you base a successful off-season on???.... I could see your point about everyone being 0-0, but that's just an easy way out. Tell me what these teams have done to either improve / or lose ground. I'm giving you reasons why most people think Miami will be improved this year, and yet you're not giving me any reasons to think otherwise.... You talk about Miami taking all of these gambles, but in reality, taking gambles are sometimes part of the winning process. You think teams like the Patriots / Jets / Bills don't take gambles on a yearly basis???...What do you call going with an injured Pennington / a back-up Houston / and a doghouse McCariens???... You can have all the chior boys you want. I'll take the player who {regardless of negative past history}, is determined / wants to play football at a high level.... They're getting just as much, if not more attention than the Phinz. They're considered one of the best teams in the NFC this year, and they deserve it.... Miami is getting a lot of off-season hype because we made what many are considering {the best off-season aquisition} this year. Isn't that enough to get some credit, and be considered a solid playoff contender???...
Wasn't Will Poole your starter to begin the season at CB last year? Also, how is LJ Shelton considered an upgrade on anyone after being released by two different teams? I think you need to re-evaluate your team and come up with some other arguements besides the Culpepper one. You can't tell me that he isn't a big question mark, and I do agree that he is better than Gus Gus, but by no means do he instantly make them better than the Pats. Your Phins may very well be better than the Jets, but they took both a step back with their defense and a step forward on offense. I do think they are going to have a tougher time on offense than you think b/c of Saban's affinity for the defensive side of the ball.
I love it! According to most, if team A brings in bodies, and coaches, it's "improved". If the pats do so, they're "weakened'. Pats lost a 1st yr DC in mangini. That was the only coaching change. The Fins? New OC, DC, (and a few others, right?). But they're 'improved'? Why? Because both guys were total failures as HC's? Didn't Miami try that before with Turner? FYI, I heard Will Poole is going to be cut or has been cut? Allen just getting to camp today? Looks like it'll be October before the Fins secondary jells. Also, didn't McKinney get hurt, possibly on IR for the season? Pats will be no less than 12-4, unless Brady goes down for multiple games. Even then, the schedule is much easier than last season. If the Pats could get to 10-6, even after throwing the last game, last season, with the hardest schedule ever to start a season, 12-4 looks like the under, not the over.
