TDMMC NFL PT / October 21, 2010

[CF DolFan]

I have to ask .... if we lose to the Steelers this weekend we would have arguably lost to the top three teams in the league.  What percentage of people will want Sparano fired and Henne tossed etc?

[fyo]

I have to ask .... if we lose to the Steelers this weekend we would have arguably lost to the top three teams in the league.  What percentage of people will want Sparano fired and Henne tossed etc?

As long as those are the only 3 teams we lose to, that would make our final record at least 11-5.

(But, yeah, should we lose to the Steelers, there's going to be an abundance of negativity come Monday.)

[MaineDolFan]

I find it amusing that everyone is up in arms with Miami being voted at #3...yet it seems that most of the panel is still popping the Houston Texans funny pills.

Miami = 3-2.
Houston = 4-2.

Miami = 3 wins on the road:  Buffalo, Minnesota, Green Bay.

Houston = losses at home against a bad Dallas team and Giants team.  Wins over Indy (home), Washington (road), Oakland (road), Kansas City (road).

Houston hasn't exactly been playing the who's who of the league.  Their defense is 27th in points allowed (which is more than what they've scored), 31st in yards allowed (410.5 per game), dead last in pass yards at 306.2 per game and 12th in rushing, allowing over 104 yards per game.

They've played the likes of the 3-3 Redskins, the 2-4 Raiders, the over their heads and we all know it 3-2 Chiefs.  They couldn't stop a AA division girl's football team from running the ball down their throat...

And they warrant a spot in the top ten.  Really?  So what we're saying here is that 4-2 is okay because it's Houston and 3-2 isn't okay because it's Miami?

On offense, Miami is middle of the pack across the board:  yards, passing, rushing (12th, 13th and 14th).  On defense Miami is 9th in yards allowed, 12th in pass yards allowed, 16th in rush yards allowed.  That is against two offensive powerhouse teams in the Vikings and Packers, a not so shabby offensive team in the Jets and then the lowly Bills.

Houston had enough points to make the top ten.  Miami had one vote in the top 5.  And, yet, the board is up in arms over that one vote.  I've only seen one person mention that the Packers, who got beat at home by Miami, had someone vote them at #4...while leaving Miami (a team that beat them) off their ballot altogether.

Things that make you go hmmmm, indeed.

I suspect some people look at record - and only record - when casting votes.  Because when things are equal (and I'm sorry, a 3-2 team and a 4-2 team is about as equal as they come) it might be beneficial to look beyond the record.  Just sayin'.

[Brian Fein]

I think the Houston funny pills are based on 2 things:
- week 1 beating of the Colts
- if the Dolphins play the Texans, I think the Texans whoop our crap.  (hypothetical of course)

Just sayin, from my perspective, that's why I voted Houston in (I think #10, for lack of better options) and not the Dolphins

[Spider-Dan]

I find it amusing that everyone is up in arms with Miami being voted at #3...yet it seems that most of the panel is still popping the Houston Texans funny pills.

Huh?

Houston came in 10th place and their highest vote was number 8.  That's not exactly "irrational exuberance."

Houston at #3 would be absurd.  Seven people voting HOU between 8 and 10 is pretty reasonable.  I doubt anyone would complain if MIA's highest vote was #8.

[MaineDolFan]

Huh?

Houston came in 10th place and their highest vote was number 8.  That's not exactly "irrational exuberance."

Houston at #3 would be absurd.  Seven people voting HOU between 8 and 10 is pretty reasonable.  I doubt anyone would complain if MIA's highest vote was #8.

And seven of the team voting members voted for Houston.  All seven that voted for Houston left Miami off their ballot. 

Again - a hollow 4-2 record that is blinding based on one win over the Colts apparently is better than a 3-2 record when all three wins are on the road (and two of those wins over pretty damned good teams).

I'll say again:  The panel has some massive reverse homer-ism going on.  It's like people are afraid to vote for Miami BECAUSE it's a Miami board.  Houston = a perfect example of this.  Don't even get me started on Atlanta and Philly.  Coughlin's law rules here, something else is always something better.

[Sunstroke]

I'll say again:  The panel has some massive reverse homer-ism going on.  It's like people are afraid to vote for Miami BECAUSE it's a Miami board.

Alternatively...

* Members may also be so close to the team that they see all the little flaws in the team more than they see the same little flaws in other teams.

* Members' opinions might be affected by predispositions of where they "expected" the team to be at this point in the current Miami rebuilding effort...I doubt many Dolphins fans considered the Phins to be a top-10 team "right now."

* Some members might be superstitious, and fear jinxing the Phins by voting them higher.

* You might be off a little on Houston

[Spider-Dan]

Apologies for late response.

And seven of the team voting members voted for Houston.  All seven that voted for Houston left Miami off their ballot.

Right, but nobody voted HOU at #3.  That was the point of contention here... not whether or not HOU or MIA are near the high single digits, but how someone could possibly have voted MIA third.

I'll say again:  The panel has some massive reverse homer-ism going on.  It's like people are afraid to vote for Miami BECAUSE it's a Miami board.

Speaking for myself, there's a huge letdown associated with losing big games at home, and winning games on the road (against injured and/or pathetic opponents) just doesn't make up for it.  So yeah, maybe if I weren't a MIA fan, I'd just say that an L is an L and vote MIA higher.  But I see the Dolphins having several opportunities to separate themselves from the pack and they just won't do it.