I would say that I was really happy with the Rex hire at the time. I always felt that Mangini was trying way too hard to emulate Beli and that if he adopted his weird, paranoid, say nothing approach that it would magically produce the same results. I did like that Rex wasn't emulating anybody and was going to be himself. Having said that, Rex's act wore on me very quickly. I never liked the constant bragging, even when he had some modicum of success the first 2 years. To me, Tanny always felt like a guy that was making it up as he went along. I really didn't like anything that I saw about him on hard knocks. To be fair, like most GM's he had his share of good/great moves as well as acts of pure desperation that ultimately out-weighed the good. I couldn't be happier with the brain trust that is in place now and hopefully they're a team that is building success that is sustainable for the long-term. We'll see, but the (very) early results are certainly encouraging.
Tanny left this team in a terrible situation. You wanna bitch about Idzik, the whole reason we had him was because Tanny fucked it up so bad here. Nobody wanted this job. That being said, Tanny is repeating his cycle down in Miami. So this is how he operates. Yeah I'll complain about him. He went boom or bust and screwed our future in the process. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
What I saw on NFLN and read was that the owner thought Philbin had lost control and respect of the team. And there were factions like some guys on defense who don't like Tannehill. And last week some of them refused to practice with him because they think he's a prima donna. Nothing new with that team we all knew they had discipline issues going back to Richie I. and Philbin didn't exactly handle that well. The guy replacing him is known as a disciplinarian and he sure looks like one. I always felt that Philbin had the team playing up to their talent level and they were been a tough team to beat under him. But these issues recently and how he handled them did him in.
I honestly think that team has major talent issues. They have no running game and a quarterback who isn't nearly good enough to be throwing it 123456789 times per game. I think their defense has definitely underachieved, but their overall talent is overrated (something I have repeatedly pointed out to Dolphins fans for years)
It's also still fascinating to me that Tanny gave Tannehill that contract after what happened with Sanchez.
When they let Wallace go, they had nothing. He really was the only offensive talent they had and he was inconsistent at best. Defensively I expected them to be better than they were. Not world beaters, but better. They over spent on Suh and didn't address the lack of talent at qb or around the qb. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
BINGO. They also have a very mediocre secondary - which is a collective unit that is just so much more important than it used to be. Also, Wake suffers from something that many good pass-rushers suffer from - wild inconsistency. His sacks/pressures tend to come in bunches.
That's such a tanny thing to do tho. Make a big splash signing to make you forget he didn't address anything else. Landry may be a good player someday outside of special teams, but he's got a way to go before he gets there. The offensive line needs work also. They're just not a good team. I can't stress enough Tanehill was a major reach when they drafted him. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Tannehill was Philbin's choice and they signed one to a long extension and fired the other. I gotta say they better get a Lombardi clone in there or they're in deep trouble over the next few years.
Philbin added nothing. Like Sparano before him, apparently O-line was supposed to be his specialty yet has been the weakest unit consistently. The defense lacks talent. No consistent pressure from the front 4, even with Suh. Wake looks like hes declining. Linebackers are average. Corners, average to poor. Grimes has been ok, not great WR corp is a bunch of 2s and 3s, but good enough I feel like. Tannehill isn't a quick enough decision maker to overcome the poor line play. Can't run the ball. Same ol shit. Next coach/QB/GM. Wash, rinse, repeat. I can't even get mad anymore.
Rex was a good hire and good for this franchise. His problem is that he hasn't improved or grown as a coach, and maybe has even regressed to validate the caricature he has always presented himself as.
I can't agree more his cartoony persona will be his undoing. He needs to just be a coach. Stop blowing his players, stop running his mouth, and make sure his players are prepared. His team's are always so undisciplined and underprepaired. Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Agree. And this is PRECISELY why, at the time of his firing, I wrote that he should take some time off. It was foolish to get right back on the horse. Mangini made the same mistake and was essentially an even less tolerable, less compromising, and ultimately less successful, version of himself in Cleveland. Coaches who get fired should take a step back and reflect on their mistakes. We all should do this when things don't go right. When the Bills hired Rex, they only subconsciously reaffirmed in his own mind that he did very little wrong here and that he doesn't have to better himself to have success in the future. But, that is patently WRONG. In point of fact, he had a LOSING record here. He finished his tenure here with four straight NON-WINNING, NON-PLAYOFF YEARS. Yeah, the talent eroded. But, until Idzik got here, Rex was a major decision-maker in the web of poor personnel decisions that contributed to that erosion. Rex had palpable and overt game-management issues. His vaunted defensive schemes had consistently been exposed by passing attacks who utilized the middle of the field, and occasionally, by rushing attacks that could consistently threaten the edge. He never managed to develop anything resembling a consistently productive offense. He never learned to effectively use extra days of rest to better his team's performance in the immediate future. He never learned how to let his team's performance on the field do the talking. He never learned how to stop telling all of his players (and everyone who will bother to listen) that they are better than they really are. He never learned how to stop obsessing over defensive statistics and stop openly taking objective assessments of "his" defense personally. He never learned how to stop gushing about his defense and how they are going to be "number 1." And less than one year later, he's coaching a very similarly built team, in the same division, maybe 300 miles away? I just don't believe in my heart that it is going to end well for him. (His only chance is if Tyrod Taylor turns into a stud) And to be honest, even though I have been HIGHLY critical of him, he comes off like an awesome guy, and if he wasn't in the division, I'd actually want to see him succeed. I think it's a tragedy. I'll never forget listening to his introductory press conference in Buffalo. I was utterly amazed at how similar it sounded to his Jets press conference, 6 years earlier. I mean, seriously, I urge anyone on here to listen to them back to back. (Both are easily found online). It's quite an eye-opening experience. The guy has learned nothing. He hasn't changed at all. And if he can't change, he can't get better. And if he can't get better, that team isn't going to live up to the hype.
Awesome post, nailed it. Not to mention he was nearly guaranteed work in broadcasting. He could have done that for a year for two and waited for a better situation.
It's amazing he lasted as long as he did. Should've been gone after the beat down in Miami week 17 last year.
I don't think so. As long as Stephen Ross remains as the owner of that team, Phags are in good hands.
The report about Tannehill getting mad at practice squad DB's picking him off was priceless. Apparently he was screaming things at them like "enjoy your practice squad paycheck'. It got so bad that Philbin had to tell the PRACTICE SQUAD DEFENSE to take it easy on Tannehill LMAO. The Dolphins are an utter mess, they've been this way for a long time.
Man with Rex in Buffalo & Tannenbaum working his magic down in Miami we are shaping up to be sitting pretty in the East. Those 2 can beat themselves while we figure out a way to beat the Pats.
