Realistic opportunity for Dolphins to make playoff push

[Brian Fein]

We all said that, before this season started it was make or break for Philbin to make the playoffs.  Well, that ship has sailed.  But are playoffs necessarily out of the question?

At 1-3, they would need to, at minimum, win the next 2 very-winnable games to get to 3-3.  Then the rest of the way, no worse than 6-4 could get you to sneak in with help from other teams.  Doesn't seem to be that much of a tall order - Baltimore is struggling, KC is struggling, no one from the South is a threat.  2 Wild Card spots could realistically both come from the AFC East.

That said, I read a stat that no team who has changed coaches mid-season has ever made the playoffs.

Do you think this is an impossible mountain to climb at this point? 

[MikeO]

Totally impossible with this offensive line. Can't block anybody.

Dan Campbell can't waive a magic wand and make Dallas Thomas and Jamil Douglas (ranked 77th and 79th out of 79 NFL guards (remind you only 64 starting guards in the NFL)) viable NFL players. Both suck beyond belief and prevent this offense from being a capable NFL offense.

So even if Campbell and Lou can fix the defense (which is a long shot as well but let's say they do).....there is no chance of fixing the o-line with the talent on this roster.  You have a roster and a practice squad with not one viable quality NFL guard. 

Fins win 3 or 4 games this year max, if that.

[Tenshot13]

Impossible?  No.
Improbable?  Yes.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

That said, I read a stat that no team who has changed coaches mid-season has ever made the playoffs.

no on this board you read the trivia question asked by me when was the LAST TIME a team fired its coach mid season and made the playoffs.   Nobody answered it.  1961 oilers

[Brian Fein]

no on this board you read the trivia question asked by me when was the LAST TIME a team fired its coach mid season and made the playoffs.   Nobody answered it.  1961 oilers

Actually, no, I read it in an online article on Yahoo Sports 2 weeks ago.

[Dave Gray]

No, I don't think it's possible, because we don't have the building "blocks" down.

If your line on both sides is solid, you can win.  You might have other issues, dropped passes, bad play calling, etc.  But the building blocks are there.

When you can't block, nothing else matters.  Plays can't develop, so it doesn't matter if you improve your calls.  It doesn't matter if your receivers catch, because they won't have time to run their routes. 

The same defensively.  When you can't apply pressure, you will lose. 

I feel that those two parts of our team are broken and you can't fix that without personnel.  I hope I'm wrong.

[MikeO]

When you can't block, nothing else matters.  Plays can't develop, so it doesn't matter if you improve your calls.  It doesn't matter if your receivers catch, because they won't have time to run their routes. 

The Cleveland Browns are living breathing proof that if you have a rock solid o-line you can have an old washed up garbage QB with no legit WR's and TE on the roster and a bunch of nobody RB's and still produce and have a capable offense. Last 2 weeks the Browns have the most yards and points in the entire NFL. Playing on the road vs SD and Baltimore, two teams that aren't pushovers.  The Browns o-line is maybe the best in the league and amazing, and it carry's that team week in and week out. Makes marginal players look better than they are.

If you can protect your QB....almost any QB....in this league with the ways the rules are set up to enhance the passing game and be slanted towards the passing game, you will have success.  The Browns protect McCown and even with a WR unit of nobody's, I mean utter nobody's....they get yards and points!

Look at the terrible o-line's in the league, the 4 worst this year are......Seattle, Denver, Miami, Detroit....all four teams this year struggle to do anything on offense and move the ball due to the o-line's being so friggin bad.

[suck for luck]

Someone needs to lay off the recreational drugs.

[BuccaneerBrad]

Someone needs to lay off the recreational drugs.

Actually he does have a point.  The game is won (and lost)  in the trenches.   McCown couldn't hit the side of a barn last year for my boys because he didnt have time to throw.  Tampa's line was atrocious.  This year, after drafting Jameis, our GM Licht realized he needed to protect his investment and dafted two linemen.  They are having some growing pains but the line play is markedly improved.  And with the exception of the opener, Tampa has been competitive in all their losses

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Someone needs.....

a new handle. 

[masterfins]

I don't think it's impossible, but obviously it's an uphill battle.  I think a lot depends upon how healthy Albert is this week (and for the rest of the season).  Another biggie is how aggressive this defense comes out and plays this week.  I'd love to see the defense bumping at the line and all out blitzing; sure it will result in a couple big pass plays against them, but I think it would be worth it.  I'm a little disappointed that the Dolphins didn't sign players off other teams this past week.

A couple injuries to some key opponents can completely change the landscape.

[suck for luck]

a new handle. 

Seriously? You're sporting one of the most idiotic fucking handles in the history of the internets.

[Rich]

Internets?

[hordman]

Internets?

It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
-Sen. Stevens

[Rich]

It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material.
-Sen. Stevens

I don't trust you. I am going to go to the Googles to searchify it.