Are The Miami Dolphins For Real??

[Dolfanalyst]

It is hard not to get swept up after winning the last two games but we should remember, this is still a team with a losing record and a long way to go.

The only conclusion that can fairly reliably be made at this time is that the team very likely isn't as bad as it looked the first five games.  In terms of energy and execution, there's been a noticeable overhaul in the last two.

And I'll take that at this point.  The alternative could've been sitting at 1-6 and wondering just how much of the coaching staff and front office would have to be blown up to account for the unexpected results.

[Tenshot13]

We have enough of a sample of Tannehill's downfield throwing not to have our appraisal of it hinge on one throw.

This year?  and what would be your assessment, although, I already have a good guess...

[Phishfan]

The only fairly reliable conclusion should be, you are only as good as your record. This team had two good games back to back. Teams that are for real have many more than that. We just have to wait and see how the rest of the season goes.

[Dolfanalyst]

This year?  and what would be your assessment, although, I already have a good guess...

He's average at downfield throwing.  Then again, the greatest number of quarterbacks in the league are also average at downfield throwing.

Was that your guess?

[Dolfanalyst]

The only fairly reliable conclusion should be, you are only as good as your record. This team had two good games back to back. Teams that are for real have many more than that. We just have to wait and see how the rest of the season goes.

Right.  My point is that teams that are "for false" are 1-6, and we ain't that, nor do we look like that 1-4 team from a mere two weeks ago.

[Thundergod]

I still don't think he's the answer.  He managed the game yesterday and that's about it.  I saw several times, where he either made a bad pass where he could have moved the chains or threw into some tight coverage.

The 3rd and 6 (i think?) down in BUF territory, before the 2nd FG, and he missed Marquis Grey wide open in the left-hand flat that would have been an easy 1st down, possibly even taken it to the goal line for a score.  And the 66 yd TD pass to Still,s greatly under thrown and luckily Stills adjusted and the Bills defenders clipped each other.  And I don't want to here from talking heads that was intended, that was a go-route and to be a deep throw.

With the way Ajayi ran the ball yesterday, there should have been plenty opportunity for play-action pass and spots open downfield cause Bills were playing the run.  His decision making is poor at best.

THIS

[Baba Booey]

I think the two wild cards will come out of the AFC West this year. And you will be hard pressed to get a wild card team out of the AFC South and AFC North (same could be said for the AFC East as well). BUT, If Miami got hot (and their schedule isn't awful here for a month...Jets, SF, SD, LA) they could be in the mix late in the year for a wild card spot if the o-line continues to play well and the defense gets good efforts out of the kids.

Anything is possible. I don't expect it but anything really is possible. Especially if the Denver kid QB falls on his face and those AFC West teams start beating each other up.

[Pappy13]

You're asking the wrong question. The question isn't are the Dolphins for real, the question is are they headed in the right direction and in my opinion the answer to that question is yes. Now before you say you've seen this all before, yes I know we have but all of you are missing some very important things that have been happening or at least they haven't been talked about in this thread yet that are encouraging signs that can't be ignored. Hopefully these are an indicator of what's to come.

1) If you haven't noticed they have dumped the "up-tempo" offense. It wasn't working and they were losing the time of possession battle horribly which in turn was forcing the defense to stay on the field an inordinate amount of time. They have gone back to the traditional huddle to call the plays. From the conversations I heard this was because there were too many mental mistakes being made and the hope was that going back to the huddle would allow everyone to digest the plays being called better and allow them to better handle their assignments. Beyond that it has also shortened the game, made for fewer plays, fewer plays means fresher starters and fewer backups in the game etc. Seems to be working.

2) They have gone to a more balanced offense. Gase tried to make the Dolphins into a west-coast short passing team, but it also was not working because the line couldn't hold the pass rush long enough on a reliable basis and WR's weren't getting open quick enough. Even a short passing game needs a clean pocket until the receivers can get open. You can blame the WR's for not getting open quick enough, the line for allowing the rush to get to the QB too fast or the QB for not getting rid of the ball quick enough. It was probably a combination of all 3 at different times but it doesn't really matter because they have dumped that offense for a more run oriented, play action pass offense. The line seems better suited to running the ball then the quick passing game and the threat of the run has forced the pass rush to respect that and not get up field so quick which has allowed the QB to fake the hand off and have time to find receivers open further down field. This has allowed the receivers more time to get open which allows for an expanded route tree etc. It also seems to be working.

Now for the reason why I think these changes are encouraging. It's because Gase is making adjustments. What he wanted to do wasn't working, but rather than keep trying to fit a round peg into a square hole he's changed to a round hole. He sees what is happening and he's making adjustments as he goes. Not just as the season goes on but in games too. If you watch the Dolphins usually look better in the 2nd half of games then they do in the first half. Why is that important? Because they are doing a better job adjusting to what the other team is doing then vice versa. That's important. That's the sign of a well coached team. That's also a sign that the players are starting to understand the nuances of the game and making them work to their advantage.

I'm not saying the Dolphins are for real, but I do think they have a head coach that is willing to change things up when they aren't working and try to find something that will work and THAT to me is real. It's still too early to make any decisions on Gase, but up to this point I'm very encouraged by what I see. I think he slowly is changing not just the offense, but the attitude of the team. Winning cures a lot of problems and one of the problems that it cures is a losing mentality. The Dolphins have had a losing mentality for over a decade. Coaches were afraid of gambling, players were afraid of making mistakes, turnovers were a death knell, etc. These are the signs of a team in trouble. Good teams aren't afraid to gamble, their players aren't afraid to make mistakes, turnovers don't spell disaster, etc. Winning breeds confidence. Confidence in turn leads to more winning. It's only 2 games and it could all change in a heart beat, but the hard part of the season is over and they just beat 2 pretty decent teams. Their confidence is up. Gase needs to stoke the fires and keep it burning, but if he can there's a very good chance this team could get on a roll and then we'll see where the chips fall.

[Baba Booey]

^^Gase gets a thumbs up just for not reading post game speeches off note cards. He puts the baseball cap on backwards and acts like a normal person and wings it and is not a robot.

Seems minor but probably helps him relate to the players to talk off the cuff and not like he is giving a 6th grade speech in front of the class

[Spider-Dan]

If Philbin were still coaching this team, Ajayi would have already been shipped to Philly for a 6th-rounder before Week 2.

[masterfins]

You're asking the wrong question. The question isn't are the Dolphins for real, the question is are they headed in the right direction and in my opinion the answer to that question is yes. Now before you say you've seen this all before, yes I know we have but all of you are missing some very important things that have been happening or at least they haven't been talked about in this thread yet that are encouraging signs that can't be ignored. Hopefully these are an indicator of what's to come.

1) If you haven't noticed they have dumped the "up-tempo" offense. It wasn't working and they were losing the time of possession battle horribly which in turn was forcing the defense to stay on the field an inordinate amount of time. They have gone back to the traditional huddle to call the plays. From the conversations I heard this was because there were too many mental mistakes being made and the hope was that going back to the huddle would allow everyone to digest the plays being called better and allow them to better handle their assignments. Beyond that it has also shortened the game, made for fewer plays, fewer plays means fresher starters and fewer backups in the game etc. Seems to be working.

2) They have gone to a more balanced offense. Gase tried to make the Dolphins into a west-coast short passing team, but it also was not working because the line couldn't hold the pass rush long enough on a reliable basis and WR's weren't getting open quick enough. Even a short passing game needs a clean pocket until the receivers can get open. You can blame the WR's for not getting open quick enough, the line for allowing the rush to get to the QB too fast or the QB for not getting rid of the ball quick enough. It was probably a combination of all 3 at different times but it doesn't really matter because they have dumped that offense for a more run oriented, play action pass offense. The line seems better suited to running the ball then the quick passing game and the threat of the run has forced the pass rush to respect that and not get up field so quick which has allowed the QB to fake the hand off and have time to find receivers open further down field. This has allowed the receivers more time to get open which allows for an expanded route tree etc. It also seems to be working.

Now for the reason why I think these changes are encouraging. It's because Gase is making adjustments. What he wanted to do wasn't working, but rather than keep trying to fit a round peg into a square hole he's changed to a round hole. He sees what is happening and he's making adjustments as he goes. Not just as the season goes on but in games too. If you watch the Dolphins usually look better in the 2nd half of games then they do in the first half. Why is that important? Because they are doing a better job adjusting to what the other team is doing then vice versa. That's important. That's the sign of a well coached team. That's also a sign that the players are starting to understand the nuances of the game and making them work to their advantage.

I'm not saying the Dolphins are for real, but I do think they have a head coach that is willing to change things up when they aren't working and try to find something that will work and THAT to me is real. It's still too early to make any decisions on Gase, but up to this point I'm very encouraged by what I see. I think he slowly is changing not just the offense, but the attitude of the team. Winning cures a lot of problems and one of the problems that it cures is a losing mentality. The Dolphins have had a losing mentality for over a decade. Coaches were afraid of gambling, players were afraid of making mistakes, turnovers were a death knell, etc. These are the signs of a team in trouble. Good teams aren't afraid to gamble, their players aren't afraid to make mistakes, turnovers don't spell disaster, etc. Winning breeds confidence. Confidence in turn leads to more winning. It's only 2 games and it could all change in a heart beat, but the hard part of the season is over and they just beat 2 pretty decent teams. Their confidence is up. Gase needs to stoke the fires and keep it burning, but if he can there's a very good chance this team could get on a roll and then we'll see where the chips fall.

Good Analysis, I agree with most of what you're saying.

[CF DolFan]

We've won 2 games in a row against good physical teams. When is the last time we did that? Not sure what qualifies as for real but we are getting better. It's also obvious we aren't as bad as we had been playing.

[Sunstroke]

Count me in the same mindset as CF...I have been impressed with the way the team has played the past two weeks against very good opponents, but I need to see continued improvement in other areas besides the rushing game before I stamp  "For Realsies" on their helmet.

[Dolfanalyst]

What will make this team far more "for real" is if it can get its offensive and defensive lines to continue to show the kind of leadership and performance we saw against Buffalo, to the degree that it establishes a team identity of physicality in the trenches.

The team has put so many resources into those areas that that should happen, in fact.  Those players should be viewing themselves as the ones responsible for making this team win, and they should play that way week in week out.

[Run Ricky Run]

Is this going to be any different than last year?  Almost same exact situation. 1-3 and roll off two dominant wins. Hopefully this year will be better.