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Miami Dolphins Mess Up

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/482237-new-england-patriots-vs-miami-dolphins-live-blog-commentary-and-analysis

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/482864-monday-night-football-meltdown-with-the-miami-dolphins

Before writing this article, I had to gather my feelings on what transpired since it is a sad day. The result was a personal reflection.

The program “Wide World Of Sports” once talked about “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” which is what many people in Miami are currently feeling. 

I usually write about Soccer especially in the USA and Mexico, but I had to give some time to writing about the Miami Dolphins which is another one of my favorite teams.

My reason for writing is to attempt to get to grips with the sadness in Miami, Florida including my own.

 I followed the game in Bleacher Report between the Fins and the New England Patriots.

The ideal thing would have been to write about a victory but the mood in Miami, Florida appears to be one of national mourning. What happened that the Fins were able to win two games and lose the last two of them?

The streets of Miami Florida are filled with many theories such as the strong teams can defeat Miami while the Fins can defeat weaker ones. It appears that while the statistics say one thing, the attitude of a player and a team can be the difference between a victory and a loss.

The New England Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins by 41 to 14 on Monday Night Football in Sun Life Stadium in Miami Florida. The defeat occurred on October 4, 2010 and it was because of the attitude of the players.

The other reason for the meltdown was that the Dolphins allowed the Patriots to take advantage of them. It was disgraceful seeing blocked field goal attempts, and blocked returns.  The Patriots appear to have come back to life while the Dolphins have disgraced themselves by losing in spite of gaining yards.

Miami Dolphins For Haiti

The Miami Dolphins have announced that they will be hosting a relief fund for Haiti in collaboration with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, the American Red Cross, and Triton Container. The event will take place at Sun Life Stadium on the 23rd of January 2010.

The purpose is to raise money for the people of Haiti who have suffered from the recent earthquake. The current and former athletes as well as the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders will be present to collect money, non perishable foods, and medical supplies.

Sun Life Financial has even collaborated with the Miami Dolphins to create a fund which will match every dollar donated with a matching donation of two dollars. The ceiling for such donations will be $300,000

 

It is great to hear good news from the NFL, the Miami Dolphins, and the world of sports. The lessons to be learned from this article are that not all of the sports personalities are egoists. Many of them have given back to their communities and have helped others in time of need.

 

The personalities of the NFL have helped in times of disaster with one of the examples being Hurricane Katrina. There have been others who have helped in schools, hospitals, and other areas.

 

The good deeds of sports personalities deserve to receive as much publicity as the negative deeds. The underwriter hopes one day to see more good publicity of sports personalities helping their community and fewer scandals.

 

http://my.nowpublic.com/sports/miami-dolphins-helps-haiti

Miami Dolphins Should Not Depend On One Player

The 2009 NFL Season for the Miami Dolphins is a far cry from the 2007 and 2008 season. It has been marked with five victories and five defeats as well as Ronnie Brown and Chad Pennington being out during most or the rest of the season.

The pundits were afraid that the season would be over with the injury of Pennington and have repeated their predictions after Ronnie Brown’s injury. The game against the Carolina Panthers proved that this was not the case.

The Fins still have life and have been able to cope in their last game with the help of Ricky Williams. It does not mean that they are going to win every game and that they are Super Bowl Material.

The underwriter wrote in previous articles about the meltdown of the southernmost NFL Team in America. He stated reasons such as lack of practice methods that have been tried with success.

The other problem has been the dependence on one player. When Marino was active in the franchise, he was looked [directly or indirectly] as the player who kept the team together.

Pennington, Brown, and Williams have been placed in the same limelight which means increased pressure to success. The dependence on one player should not be the basis for any NFL Football team.

The players of today will be the players of history but a franchise such as the Dolphins must remain independent of such dependence on one person. The team must concentrate on practice as well as attempting to salvage what remains of the current NFL Season.

It should do that by having players attempt different positions and game strategies. The Fins should look forward and not look back with the intention of playing football like it has never been played before without depending on one player.

If this could be done, there is the possibility that the Dolphins may have saved what remains of their 2009 NFL Season before returning to the drawing board in the NFL Draft.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294402-miami-dolphins-should-not-depend-on-one-player?just_published=1

Dolphins Meltdown?

During the month of September 2009, the underwriter wrote about the meltdown of the Miami Dolphins and its reasons. While hoping that he was wrong, the loss to the New Orleans Saints proved that indeed there is a meltdown.

The Miami Dolphins appeared to have started its game against the Saints in its home turf with a big lead at the end of the second quarter. The Fins had everything and was poised to add another win to its already two victories.

The second half of the game was a disaster as Miami made many mistakes with players repeating the same mistakes as the first two games. The defense [in the opinion of the underwriter] was weak and made errors that the Saints were quick to take advantage.

The Fins were disorganized, lacked coordination and organization while the Saints appeared to have come from behind after a lackluster first half. It appeared that the Dolphins made the mistake of resting on their laurels instead of hearing the old adage:”It is not over until it is over”.

What happened to the team that won the Super Bowl and once had a perfect season? It did not learn its lesson and did not train players for different positions. Its reliance on one quarteback such as Pennington did more harm than good when an injury sidelined him for the rest of the 2009 NFL Season.

The best thing that could happen to Miami is the following: attempt to play the best that they can and attempt to win as many games as possible to at least make a decent showing by the end of the season.

When the 2009 NFL Season comes to an end, the Fins can make changes in the defensive ends, quarterbacks, and other positions to strengthen their position. The suggestion that should also be made must be a change in practice tactics.

No team ever won a Super Bowl [or any other sporting event] by pretending to practice before the cameras. The games that are won are won by blood, sweat, and tears. The meaning of blood, sweat, and tears [as well as no pain no gain] is defined as practicing under all forms of weather conditions with maximum discomfort.

The Miami Dolphins will never win any games and much less win the Super Bowl unless that type of practice is initiated. It is total agony since the underwriter wanted to see the Miami Dolphins compete in the Super Bowl 2010 which will take place in its own city.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/279084-the-fins-definitive-meltdown?just_published=1

Miami Dolphin Meltdown?

The Miami Dolphins played against the Indianapolis Colts at home on Sep. 21, 2009. The game, which was featured on Monday Night Football, produced the following results: Ronnie Brown scored two touchdowns for the Fins by rushing for 136 yards on 24 carries.

The other result was Peyton Manning surpassing Johnny Unitas as a team leader in victories for quarterbacks. He also surpassed Vinny Testaverde on the NFL’s all-time yardage list. Manning has 46,232 yards, compared with Testaverde and his 46,223 yards.

The aforementioned historical occasions pale in comparison to the Miami Dolphins squandering all of their advantages to hand the game over to the Colts. What happened was a disgrace that has people wondering “what is going on?”

The people in the streets have said that “the first game doesn’t count” and “this was close, but we will win the next time.” It is these comments and what was witnessed that have this writer asking questions.

He found the answers in an article written by John Friel for Bleacher Report: “No Catch of the Day: Miami Dolphins Could Have Handed the Indianapolis Colts a Loss.”

Chad Pennington is no Dan Marino, since he either does not have the qualities of a leader that is expected of a quarterback or he is afraid to use them.

It is this ambivalence or lack of action that was used to the advantage of the Colts under the stronger leadership of Peyton Manning.

Ted Ginn, Jr., who was the subject of an article written by me on October 2008 (please see “Tedd Ginn, Jr. and Miami Dolphins Cannot Be Written Off“) did a poor job in receiving the balls thrown to him by Pennington. What was Ginn thinking about? He was not concentrating on the game.

The fact that timeouts were used inappropriately, as well as lack of coverage for some of the Dolphin players, contributed to the debacle.

The Fins miscalculated on time, as well. Of course, the way practice is conducted is not conducive to winning games or even the Super Bowl.

The fact that players have been changed does not contribute to a winning team. After all, do not fix a good thing if it works.

The next game is going to be against the San Diego Chargers and it is hoped that the Dolphins can turn around the situation.

The alternative would be the Dolphins becoming the second team in the NFL with no wins during the current season, which would undo all of the accomplishments of the previous season.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/259511-miami-dolphins-why-the-meltdown

Dolphins Humiliiated By Falcons

After an amazing 2008 campaign, the Miami Dolphins started off their 2008 campaign flat; while the Falcons sent a message to the league that their “here to stay.”

What was supposed to be the beginning of an example of continuous improvement, was a utter disgrace.

The Fins were scoreless until a touchdown and field goal was scored within the last few minutes of the game. Even then, it was not enough to even come close to the Falcons who led them by close to two touchdowns.

It appears that the Dolphins have forgotten the lessons learned from the 2007 and 2008 season. In the process, they made mistakes that led to interceptions and the Falcons taking advantage of their errors.

The Dolphins seemed complacent; even worse, they looked like a team who has failed to listen to their sideline and front-office leaders, Tony Sparano and Bill Parcells.

The Falcons [and the writer is a fan of the Dolphins] deserve to be congratulated for its tenacity, discipline, and continuity. On the other hand, the fish have to go back to the drawing board by practicing in the trenches instead of the comfort zone of South Beach.

The Fins can start by listening to the song interpreted by the British Rock Group Queen “We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions,” before and during hard core practice [mountains, cold weather, heat, and the Everglades].

They have to be a lean and mean team if their goal is to advance to the Super Bowl. They have to be consistent in their plays with Chad Pennington avoiding interceptions.

The example of being a mean and lean team is to go on the offensive, reinforce the defensive, and place emphasis on tackling.

In other words, be tough, but at the same time play by the rules.

Until that happens, I don’t see a bright future for the Dolphins we all fell in love with last season.

Miami Dolphins And The NFL Season 2009

The underwriter attempted to write an article concerning players and different scenarios for the Miami Dolphins. The laptop was not cooperative with him so this will be a general review and opinion.

Before starting with the 2009 season, it is important to recap the last two years. The year 2007 was a disaster for the Fins with only one game won. The team was demoralized and the coach was a disaster.

It was a miracle that Miami was spared the fate of Detroit which became the first team in NFL history in losing every game during one of their seasons. The year 2008 was a year of change in the guard and the team.

Parcells was brought in to help with the change and Sparano was hired as a coach. The 2008 NFL Season brought a big improvement to the Fins. The Fins were even candidates for the playoffs. Regardless, this was not to be.

The NFL Season is coming and people in Miami still want a repeat of a perfect season and are expecting more from their team than in previous attempts. The fear is that the fans may be deceived if they receive what is least expected.

It is of the opinion of the underwriter that the Miami Dolphins is still a team in reconstruction mode after a decade of abuse and mismanagement. It would be an injustice to name players or techniques that could result in a Super Bowl team or even winning it.

The first thing that should be addressed is that every season is different. The year 2009 is totally different from the perfect season of 1972.

If the Miami Dolphins expect to win or even do better than the year 2008, the following will be needed. Mr. Sparano will have to make tough decisions on which players will stay and which ones will go.

My only suggestion for Mr. Sparano is to stay away from Michael Vick since he is a liability in football. The rest of the other decisions will have to be based not only on professional play but on personal conduct.

The people who play football should also develop a well disciplined and well oiled team that can stand the pressure of the game. This can be accomplished by obeying the coach and working as a team. The idea of personality clashes should be consigned to the trash can.

The practice should be in areas of mountains, tough roads, under hot, and under cold weather. The idea of practicing in a gym is not the way to make a championship. The conditions of hardship are those that make a team.

When all of these elements are together, only then can the Miami Dolphins talk about a future in the 2009 NFL Season.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/225991-the-future-of-the-dolphins-for-nfl-2009?just_published=1

The Fins Should Draft Maybin

I have been reading about the NFL Draft for 2009. While I have been a fan of the Miami Dolphins since 1969 [when I was seven years old], I am still a novice when it comes to the draft. My understanding of the NFL Draft is the equivalent of high school students being matched with the college of their choice or vice versa. What happens afterwards depends on the team and the player.

The same might apply with the college and or the aspiring student. Before writing about the draft and the Miami Dolphins, it was decided to make a comparison between 2008 and 2009 before discussing the draft.

The Fins are in a better position in the beginning of 2009 then they were during the 2008 NFL Draft. Sparano and Parcells were instrumental in turning the team around after their only victory in the 2008 NFL Season.

The time has come to select players that will contribute to the continuity of the success story from Miami Florida. One of the interesting sources has been “Craig’s NFL Mock Draft Picks, Nos. 21-32” written by ctsports picks. He commented about Aaron Maybin from Penn State. I am in agreement with his suggestion of Maybin for the Miami Dolphins.

Aaron Maybin played DE for the Penn State Nittany Lions. During his career with Penn State, he had 61 tackles, one forced fumble, and no interceptions. His participation in the 2008 Penn State Football Season resulted in eleven victories and one loss in what almost became a perfect season for the team.

Aaron Maybin participated in the Alamo Bowl [2007] and the Rose Bowl [2008]. He was also the recipient of the All American, All Big Ten, and the Big Ten Defensive Pow during the year 2008. He has also ranked in seventh place in the United States of America with 12 quarterback sacks.

While he has visited Seattle, San Francisco, and Baltimore to explore the possibilities with each of the above mentioned teams, I cannot help but think that it would be a big mistake if Parcells and Sparano allow Maybin to go to another team. If Maybin goes to another team during the NFL Draft and the Fins receive another DE who cannot help in the continuity of the Miami success story, then they should talk with the other teams and negotiate a trade.

Again, I am stating this as a novice of the NFL Draft. I watch the NFL Draft every year and I am attempting to learn about it. Aaron Maybin is of a good character that is respected by his teammates.

He has been known to be tough in the field. While his weakness is a lack of consistency in his plays, he can learn to improve his deficiencies. His advantage is not only playing football but a desire to learn in his sport. There are people who say that the NFL Football Season is not the time to learn. I am of the opinion that learning is a never ending process.

If Sparano and Parcells could read my article, I would say to them that whatever they do in the NFL Draft of 2009, the person who deserves to wear the Dolphin Uniform is Aaron Maybin.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/159271-craigs-nfl-mock-draft-2009-picks-21-32

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=188688

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1117617 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/160113-parcells-should-draft-maybin?just_published=1

The Greats and Not So Greats Miami Dolphin Draft Picks

The spring of 2009 is the time of many events including the NFL Draft. At a time of great expectations, the Miami Dolphins will be participating in the current draft with more confidence than in 2007.

It is time to look at the top five picks and bust selections of the Miami Dolphins since it began as a franchise of the AFL and then NFL in the 1960’s.

It would be great to add one missed opportunity.

Number One Pick: Dan Marino

The greatest selection ever made by the Miami Dolphins had to be Dan Marino. Dan Marino was the first draft choice by the United States Football League team the Los Angeles Express. He was also rumored to be a candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers although the Steelers ended selecting Gabriel Rivera.

The Miami Dolphins selected Dan Marino during the 27^th pick in the NFL Draft in 1983. Many people did not think much of the selection yet it was the beginning of a golden era for the Dolphins. While Marino was the Most Valued Player multiple times, he was unable to win a Super Bowl for the Dolphins.

Dan Marino was more than just a football player; he was also a class by himself by being the most prolific players in the team.

Number Two Pick:  Larry Csonka

Larry Csonka was the Number One Selection by the Miami Dolphins during its draft in 1968. At that time, the Miami Dolphins belonged to the American Football League before it merged with the NFL.

Csonka was one of the principle players that helped the Miami Dolphins win the Super Bowl during the perfect season. He was named the Most Valued Player for Super Bowl VIII after establishing a record for 145 runs, 2 touchdowns, and 33 carries.

He eventually retired on a high note after being named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1979. 

Number Three Pick:  Jake Long

One of the best selections in order to redeem a team from a one game victory during the 2007 NFL Season was Jake Long. He was the first round draft and was named Rookie of the Week during the tenth week of the 2008-2009 NFL Season.

While it is too early to comment about Jake Long, the author is of the opinion that he has potential and may surprise us in the 2009-2010 NFL Season.

Number Four Pick: Chad Henne

Chad Henne was drafted during the Second Round of the NFL Season. According to ESPN Reporter Chris Mortenson, he may become the starting Quarterback for the 2010 Season. If this is true, Chris Henne has to prove his potential to inherit the mantle left by Dan Marino and Chad Pennington.

Number Five Pick: Ronnie Brown

Ronnie Brown has a record of 916 yards and 214 carries after being drafted by the Fins. It is hoped that more will come in the following NFL Seasons.

After the picks, we will deal with the busts.

Number One Bust: Yatil Green

Jimmy Johnson who was coach of the Miami Dolphins made a mistake with Yatil Green. Yatil Green was selected by the team as a first round pick during the 1997 draft. Green did not live up to expectations with his tearing of the quadriceps muscle, anterior cruciate ligament, and right knee cartilage.

Yatil Green was later released by the Miami Dolphins after ten surgeries on his knees. The New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders later selected Yatil Green but dropped him for the same reasons.

Number Two Bust: John Avery

John Avery was selected in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. It was hoped that they learned their lesson from the Green debacle. John Avery in the Miami Dolphins reminds me of the one hit wonders in the music industry.

John Avery managed to accumulate 1655 during his rookie season in 1998 but this was surpassed by Chambers and Walkers. Avery was later traded to the Denver Broncos who decided in their training camp that he was no longer needed.

While respecting Jimmy Johnson as an NFL Coach and a FOX Sports Broadcaster, this was another mistake in his coaching career with the first round draft picks.

After reading the article on the Bleacher Report “Dolphins Disaster: Miami Cam Cameron Doomed by Draft History” written by John Newman, it inspired me to name the

Number Three Bust called Reagan Mauia.

Reagan Mauia was drafted for the 2007 Miami Dolphins Season and was famous for doing nothing. He eventually lost to Boomer Grigsby in the pre season competition for the job as fullback for the Miami Dolphins.

Number Four Bust: Samson Satele

Samson Satele was drafted by the Miami Dolphins for its 2007 Season. Samson Satele ended in the same note as Reagan Mauia.

Number Five Bust: Lorenzo Booker

Lorenzo Booker was also selected during the 2007 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. His first action was at the end of the 2007 NFL Season when the Dolphins lost to the Jets. He was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The stories of the picks and duds in the Miami Dolphins will be written in a continuous matter. After all, life goes on.

Reference:

“Dolphins Disaster: Miami Cam Cameron Doomed by Draft History” Newman, John. Bleacher Report; January 5, 2008;

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/5856-dolphins-disaster-miami-cam-cameron-doomed-by-draft-history

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/154085-the-hits-and-misses-in-the-miami-dolphins-draft-history?just_published=1