Dolphins News: Dolphins Massacred by Jaguars
Curt Fennell
Jaguars yesterday, losing by the disastrous score of 62-7 in
Jacksonville. There is no point in going over the game, since the
Dolphins played terribly from the first play to the last. Suffice it
to say that if there was a mistake that could be made playing football,
the Dolphins made it.
This is not to take anything away from the Jaguars, who were
clearly the better prepared and more talented team in every way, but
the Dolphins committed 7 turnovers from the first offensive play to the
end of the game and you aren't going to be competitive against any team
in the league if you commit 7 turnovers.
There were a few plays by the Dolphins that were good. Tim
Bowens bull-rushed over Zach Weigert in the first quarter for a sack
and Oronde Gadsden made a beautiful reception of a Dan Marino pass at
the end of the first half for the Dolphins' only touchdown. But other
than those two plays, the Dolphins looked totally inept and incompetent.
I know that some of the fans out there will want to know how Dan
Marino played if you didn't have a chance to watch the game. Well, Dan
did not play well at all. His first pass of the game was an
interception thrown directly to a Jaguar's defensive back that should
never have left his hand. He threw behind, over and in front of his
receivers all day long.
Having said that, I'm not trying to single out Dan or blame the
loss on him. Every player on the team made mistake after mistake and
all deserve equal shares of the blame. Defensive players consistently
missed tackles, offensive players dropped passes or fumbled and didn't
block and defensive backs were roasted all day long. Every player on
the team stunk yesterday.
In the aftermath of this debacle, several things are likely to
happen for the Dolphins. First of all, Jimmy Johnson is likely to
resign as head coach. There was a good chance he was going to resign
anyway, but this defeat will merely hasten his decision.
The second thing that's going to happen is that Dan Marino will
most likely not play in a Dolphins uniform again. I believe that the
Dolphins will "encourage" him to retire. At the very least, he will
be asked to take a huge pay cut. The rumors are flying hot and heavy
that he'll leave Miami and play somewhere else, but I don't believe
that. I think he'll just retire.
As for my personal feelings - well, I know that it is human
nature to want to blame some individual for this disaster. We all like
to have some person to blame when things go wrong. But, like most
human disasters, it isn't that simple. It isn't all one person's
fault. Nearly everyone associated with the team deserves their fair
share of blame, from Wayne Huizenga down to the ball boys.
So before we all go shooting Jimmy Johnson or Dan Marino or the
offensive line or the defensive backs or the coaching staff - lets take
a few days to calm down. Most people can't make intelligent judgments
when they're upset and I don't know about you - but I'm very upset right
now.
But as bad as you and I feel, I can assure you that every one of
the Dolphins' team members feels far worse. Everything they've worked
for all year has just been destroyed in an afternoon of humiliation that
was worse than their worst nightmares.
So, before you jump on the blame bandwagon, regardless of which
bandwagon it is, just remember that it could be worse. You could be
Dan Marino this morning, faced with a dismal end to everything you've
worked for your whole life.
As for my feelings about Dan - well, I believe that it is time
for him to retire. For whatever reasons, he is no longer capable of
playing the game at his former level. Yes, sometimes he still comes
through with an amazing pass or even a whole drive, but he is
inconsistent and mistake prone. He has become just an average NFL
quarterback and "average" will never be good enough for him, or for his
fans.
For those of you who want big changes to the team following the
game, I don't think you have to worry about that. It's pretty clear
that there will be big changes to the team in the off-season, perhaps as
soon as today.
It was a dismal way to end the season, but I don't think that
we'll have to endure another year like this one again.
Curt
Curt "DOLFAN in New Rochelle" Fennell, cu...@phins.com
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Todd Paler
Thoughful analysis as always. I concur with most of your points, however I
wouldn't be too sure that we'll never have to go through something like this
again. This season had striking similarities to Shula's last year in 1995.
I'm sure most of us believed we wouldn't be going through that kind of
dissapointment and letdown again, but here we are.
bob
all. They did it for one of 3 reasons:
1. They were tired from the road trip
2. They were demoralized cause they really don't like their coach very much
and didn't want to fight hard for him.
3. They were demoralized cause they're tired of covering their QB's ass and
didn't want to fight very hard for him.
One of those 3, and you and I will never know which.
bob
euphemism
> In the aftermath of this debacle, several things are likely to
> happen for the Dolphins. First of all, Jimmy Johnson is likely to
> resign as head coach. There was a good chance he was going to resign
> anyway, but this defeat will merely hasten his decision.
This has been widely reported at this point - Mortenson is insisting that JJ
was planning to retire regardless. That may be what Jimmy planned, but I
would
bet the ranch that if this team had made it to the Super Bowl and missed
winning
by a narrow margin, JJ would have discovered (or re-discovered) his
drive. Obviously this ending falls way short of providing any kind of energy
going into next season.
> The second thing that's going to happen is that Dan Marino will
> most likely not play in a Dolphins uniform again. I believe that the
> Dolphins will "encourage" him to retire. At the very least, he will
> be asked to take a huge pay cut. The rumors are flying hot and heavy
> that he'll leave Miami and play somewhere else, but I don't believe
> that. I think he'll just retire.
I would agree that IF he retires, he'll stay retired. Do you suspect that
Huezinga still believes that Marino has the goods? I do... He may feel that
Marino has been the victim of a lingering injury and a lack of confidence. I
am not saying that I agree with that idea. If Dan tells Wayne that he wants
to try again, Wayne will accede, perhaps eagerly.
> As for my feelings about Dan - well, I believe that it is time
> for him to retire. For whatever reasons, he is no longer capable of
> playing the game at his former level. Yes, sometimes he still comes
> through with an amazing pass or even a whole drive, but he is
> inconsistent and mistake prone. He has become just an average NFL
> quarterback and "average" will never be good enough for him, or for his
> fans.
The fact that Marino is making such terrible decisions - balls thrown
directly to defenders - makes me feel that this is truly the end. I suppose
someone could find examples of how players have recovered from such
problems, but this looks fatal.
Whether Marino feels he could play solid football or not, I believe that he
should wait until the dust settles to make his announcement or decision. I
would like him to stay, in some capacity, with Miami. Whether he could
start, back-up or even work as a QB coach, it would be nice to see him
remain as part of the Dolphin family. I just hate the idea of him popping up
on another team - he should be forever a Dolphin.
> For those of you who want big changes to the team following the
> game, I don't think you have to worry about that. It's pretty clear
> that there will be big changes to the team in the off-season, perhaps as
> soon as today.
>
> It was a dismal way to end the season, but I don't think that
> we'll have to endure another year like this one again.
We really part ways here Curt.
I think that loss could reverberate through this franchise for a long time.
The simple fact that Miami has developed a habit of late-season slides and
post-season disaster will weigh on future teams. People find it easy to
dismiss this sort of thing, but what we saw yesterday was an example of just
how bad things can get when your mindset is blown.
If the arranged marriage of Wayne and Wanny goes forward, I have no
confidence that the Dolphins will be re-born anytime soon. We may have to
endure worse seasons than we have seen at anytime in the history of this
franchise. We won't have that miracle worker to drag us over the hump.
Ü
Terry Gowan
retire? I've heard that if he waits till June 1st, then the Dolphins won't
get clobbered.
Terry
"Curt Fennell" <cu...@phins.com> wrote in message
news:85siu7$ajb$1...@news.philabs.research.philips.com...
> In the aftermath of this debacle, several things are likely to
> happen for the Dolphins. First of all, Jimmy Johnson is likely to
> resign as head coach. There was a good chance he was going to resign
> anyway, but this defeat will merely hasten his decision.
>
> The second thing that's going to happen is that Dan Marino will
> most likely not play in a Dolphins uniform again. I believe that the
> Dolphins will "encourage" him to retire. At the very least, he will
> be asked to take a huge pay cut. The rumors are flying hot and heavy
> that he'll leave Miami and play somewhere else, but I don't believe
> that. I think he'll just retire.
>
> As for my personal feelings - well, I know that it is human
> nature to want to blame some individual for this disaster. We all like
> to have some person to blame when things go wrong. But, like most
> human disasters, it isn't that simple. It isn't all one person's
> fault. Nearly everyone associated with the team deserves their fair
> share of blame, from Wayne Huizenga down to the ball boys.
>
> So before we all go shooting Jimmy Johnson or Dan Marino or the
> offensive line or the defensive backs or the coaching staff - lets take
> a few days to calm down. Most people can't make intelligent judgments
> when they're upset and I don't know about you - but I'm very upset right
> now.
>
> But as bad as you and I feel, I can assure you that every one of
> the Dolphins' team members feels far worse. Everything they've worked
> for all year has just been destroyed in an afternoon of humiliation that
> was worse than their worst nightmares.
>
> So, before you jump on the blame bandwagon, regardless of which
> bandwagon it is, just remember that it could be worse. You could be
> Dan Marino this morning, faced with a dismal end to everything you've
> worked for your whole life.
>
> As for my feelings about Dan - well, I believe that it is time
> for him to retire. For whatever reasons, he is no longer capable of
> playing the game at his former level. Yes, sometimes he still comes
> through with an amazing pass or even a whole drive, but he is
> inconsistent and mistake prone. He has become just an average NFL
> quarterback and "average" will never be good enough for him, or for his
> fans.
>
> For those of you who want big changes to the team following the
> game, I don't think you have to worry about that. It's pretty clear
> that there will be big changes to the team in the off-season, perhaps as
> soon as today.
>
> It was a dismal way to end the season, but I don't think that
> we'll have to endure another year like this one again.
>
Rob
>
> It was a dismal way to end the season, but I don't think that
> we'll have to endure another year like this one again.
I agree with you 99% of the time Curt, but not here.
How many late-season collapses is it going to take?
Curt Fennell
Terry Gowan <tgo...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
>
> Curt, any news of Marino's impact against the salary cap, if he decides to
> retire?
What I've heard is that no matter when he retires, the Dolphins will
end up saving about $4 million from the salary cap. I don't have the
exact numbers, but the way it works out is that even if the 2001
portion of his signing bonus is accelerated in the 2000 season, the
team still saves a huge amount of money.
FWIW, the Dolphins are currently about $4 million under the cap. If
they save another $4 million, that's a total of $8 million, but the
team has to come up with either money or replacements for Richmond
Webb and Terrell Buckley.
Inictus
Curt Fennell wrote in message
<85v4a5$bnm$1...@news.philabs.research.philips.com>...
>
>FWIW, the Dolphins are currently about $4 million under the cap. If
>they save another $4 million, that's a total of $8 million, but the
>team has to come up with either money or replacements for Richmond
>Webb and Terrell Buckley.
REPLACEMENTS!! 'nuff said
Inictus
Philip Delaquess
> It isn't all one person's
> fault. Nearly everyone associated with the team deserves their fair
> share of blame, from Wayne Huizenga down to the ball boys.
Hey Curt,
I always enjoy your posts, even though the Dolphins aren't my team, but I
fear you're being a tad hyperbolic here. The ball boys?
> ....lets take
> a few days to calm down. Most people can't make intelligent judgments
> when they're upset....
See what I mean?
All the same, I share your pain. With the Packers watching the playoffs on
TV, Dan Marino became my sentimental favorite to finally get that Superbowl
ring. I didn't think he'd get it, but I was hoping the Dolphins would at
least lose respectably. I was thrilled that they beat that traitor who
coaches the Seahawks. I was playing in a chess tournament on Saturday. I
turned the game on the radio at lunchtime and found out that with ten
minutes to go in the first half, the Jags were up 38 zip and Brunell had
already earned the afternoon off. It was 41-7 at halftime when I returned to
my chess.
I hate Brunell's guts, for reasons I won't get into, so I'm now rooting for
the Titans.
Better luck next year,
Philip.
ILUV...@bud.com
on March 31, he is owed a $1M roster bonus.
Terry Gowan
change. That gives Miami over $12 million to find replacements for Webb and
Buckley. I'm assuming (and hoping) that we don't re-sign either of those
two.
Terry
"Curt Fennell" <c...@philabs.research.philips.com> wrote in message
news:85v4a5$bnm$1...@news.philabs.research.philips.com...
> In article <hwog4.3760$541.1...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
> Terry Gowan <tgo...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Curt, any news of Marino's impact against the salary cap, if he decides
to
> > retire?
>
> What I've heard is that no matter when he retires, the Dolphins will
> end up saving about $4 million from the salary cap. I don't have the
> exact numbers, but the way it works out is that even if the 2001
> portion of his signing bonus is accelerated in the 2000 season, the
> team still saves a huge amount of money.
>
> FWIW, the Dolphins are currently about $4 million under the cap. If
> they save another $4 million, that's a total of $8 million, but the
> team has to come up with either money or replacements for Richmond
> Webb and Terrell Buckley.
>
ILUV...@bud.com
>In article <38833CA7...@gcg.com>,
>Philip Delaquess <dela...@gcg.com> wrote:
>>Curt Fennell wrote:
>>
>>I always enjoy your posts, even though the Dolphins aren't my team, but I
>>fear you're being a tad hyperbolic here. The ball boys?
>
>Hyperbolic? Well, no - I don't think I look like a hyperbola....
>
>But I was trying to make a point that ALMOST everyone on the team
>screwed up. And maybe the ball boys did screw up, too.
Perhaps they gave Dan the "K" ball by mistake.
Curt Fennell
Philip Delaquess <dela...@gcg.com> wrote:
>Curt Fennell wrote:
>
>I always enjoy your posts, even though the Dolphins aren't my team, but I
>fear you're being a tad hyperbolic here. The ball boys?
Hyperbolic? Well, no - I don't think I look like a hyperbola....
But I was trying to make a point that ALMOST everyone on the team
screwed up. And maybe the ball boys did screw up, too.
> I hate Brunell's guts, for reasons I won't get into, so I'm now
> rooting for the Titans.
Actually, I was a bit surprised by Fred Taylor shooting his mouth off
with no class both before and after the game. I thought the Jaguars
were supposed to be this "high class" team?