Thoughts from a lifelong Phins fan!

[panthers55]

In a way, Miami last year and this one so far seem to have some parallel themes compared to the Panthers in 2011 and 2012.  Both squads had key issues which caused them to be inconsistent. Both groups had a bunch of young players often as key positions who showed great potential with occasional flashes but also the foibles of youth resulting in mistakes often at key times which kill drives on offense and fail to kill drives on defense.  There were a number of guys who were counted on to start who went on IR and there was shuffling around of players enough to impede chemistry in Carolina's case and caused inconsistency for Miami.   When that was coupled with injuries to players often from the same position pool and coaching/locker room issues, the remaining players have to assume starting roles whether they are ready or not. There is little depth given guys who were on the practice squad one week find themselves in the game rotation often trial by fire the next. 

 

Of course the Panthers struggled early and rallied late once it didn't matter with losing records both years. Miami has a chance to best that. They went 7-9 last year and so far are even at  5-5.  This game is big for Miami to get them over 500 before they have to play 4 division games and one against a Pittsburgh team which is improving. Honestly there isn't a gimme game on their schedule.

 

If they lose on Sunday they will hope to end the season 8-8, meaning they will go 3-2 against the rest.

 

The good news is that a lot of players will get starting experience which will help with depth next year.  Some will become solid starters coupled with good drafts which will pay off for the Dolphins like it did us.

The difference on Sunday will be the quarterbacks and the offense.  Whichever one can score more points without turning it over will win.  The defenses will do their best to get turnovers and score on their own and special teams will be important like always.  Still the game will hinge on a few critical plays that swing the game one direction or the other on defense and on offense. The Panthers have found a way to make big plays in the last 6 games when they have to this year.  They will again on Sunday. Miami will make some big plays just not enough. 

 

[R0CKnR0LLA]

What are the odds from Vegas that Tannehill dies Sunday? Might want to make a bet.

[the butch]

"Punting a puppy." That made me laugh.

If we keep the foot on the pedal, we win. If we get arrogant, and lose focus, we lose.

[TannehillRules]

I can't really hate the dolphins, my uncle is a DIE HARD phins fan and I personally pull for every team in Miami save for the Heat(and dolphins when they play the Panthers). However I don't think there is a single position where the Dolphins can claim more talent. This Carolina team is just better in every way but more importantly, they're playing like they EXPECT to win. Weeks 1-4, this team played like they expected to lose, that has completely evaporated. Every team deserves respect and can't be overlooked and I think this current Panthers squad knows that. They know that EVERYTHING accomplished by that NE win will be completely undone if they fall to a team they are "supposed" to beat. I just don't see this current Panthers team dropping this game.

WR: Smith > Wallace, Hartline > LaFell, Matthews/Gibson > Ginn 

DT: Soliai, Starks/Odrick > Star and Short. Both are definitely good rookies but Starks, Soliai, and even Odrick are top 15-20 at their positions. 

CB: Dolphins > Panthers. Grimes and Patterson have yet to allow a TD by a WR. 

P: Fields is the best punter in the NFL. 

[lovelett]

WR: Smith > Wallace, Hartline > LaFell, Matthews/Gibson > Ginn

DT: Soliai, Starks/Odrick > Star and Short. Both are definitely good rookies but Starks, Soliai, and even Odrick are top 15-20 at their positions.

CB: Dolphins > Panthers. Grimes and Patterson have yet to allow a TD by a WR.

P: Fields is the best punter in the NFL.

Good luck to you guys getting the wildcard. I live in west palm, have lots of friends that are phins fans. Hartline is underated, hope we win sunday but good luck to you guys again, you all have a great and respectfull fan and a good young team. Had a much fun with you guys chearing against the patriots as me for the panthers.

[xclr82xtc]

i hear incognito is for sale.

[MadHatter]

Good morning my fellow Carolinians!!!!

 

For those who know me, you know me around here as "Henne Given Sunday" or now as "The Phinisher"

 

For those who don't know me. I am a lifelong Dolphins fan, who moved to the great Queen city back in 2008.

 

Can you believe it's been 4 years since that Thursday night game where Miami squeeked one out and held off Delhommes desperate come back?! That was fun though!

 

Every 4 years the Miami Dolphins and The Panthers duke it out. Here we are again. I wanted to bring some perspective on this game from how I see it as I watch both teams rather closely.

 

Let me start off with thank you. Thank you for doing that to New England. Man I love seeing Tom Bradys vagina chin dripping with slobbering goo as hes yelling like a bitch to the ref for not fisting him another bullshit call in a game. Boy if it was Foxboro you know that flag would've stayed. Brady probably cried for 5 hours while Giesel responded to hate mail on his uggs sponsered fan-site.

 

Now its on to Miami!

 

Why Miami Will win:

 

• Its 39 fuging degrees here in Charlotte...........in Miami? 80 at 9:50 in the morning!!!!!!!!!! On Sunday it will be a high of 80, probably humid and sticky. Miami wears white on whites at home, so you all will be in dark uniforms, in a 1pm game. Coming from South East Russian weather here in charlotte, thats going to be a big hit of STANK to the face when you get off the plane
• You are high as a kite right now after two big wins. You have the big bad Saints in 2 weeks, and Miami on a short week, non-divisional, non-national tv game has all the signs to a let down.
• Ryan Tannehill is playing pretty good right now. No Sophmore slump for this kid. He has 3 interceptions at the end of games from hailmarys, take those away and he's got a very impressive td/int ratio for a kid with limited experience. Mike Wallace leads the league (or is close) in drops, and Tannehill has missed his target on multiple deep balls, but thats bound to correct itself soon, and if you guys for some god moses noah reason can't reach Tannehill on a couple plays, I don't see a DB on your roster that worries me covering Wallace.
• Our defensive front 7 is pretty scary too. Cam Wake is a fuging monster. The original Kraken. Dude got healthy 2 weeks ago and is on a tear. Randy Stark, Paul Solia and Jared Odrick can stuff the run and rush the passer. Dion Jordan is all over the field. We bounced him from DE to Middle linebacker last week in the middle of Phillip Rivers cadence and he called a timeout. Blew his fuging mind. Dannell Ellerbe and Phillip Wheeler rush the passer good and cover well. Gates had a couple of catches last week and a short TD, but we held him mostly in check.
• Brent Grimes will be on Smitty, and he knows him well. Grimes is healthy and playing at his 2011 pro bowl level he was playing at with the Falcons. Hes locking guys down, picking off passes, scoring TDs and all over the field. He looks so short, but the dude has the athletic ability of a god damn cheetah warrior!
• Lamar Miller in space is dangerous. You guys miss a lot of tackles, that happens Sunday and Miller will break a couple.
• We lose to crap teams....but beat good teams. We have lost to Tampa, Buffalo and Baltimore. But we've beat Cleveland, Atlanta, Cincy on national TV and Indianapolis on the road, even stopping Andrew Luck on a 4th quarter come back. We usually show up against good teams for some dumb reason that makes me want to murder a boy scout.

Why Carolina Will win:

 

• Cam Newton is a man beast of silver and black. He's literally a man panther. Panthro. He scares the living jesus out of me.
• We couldnt block 4 mentally challeneged kids on roller skates right now. Richie Incognito is suspended, probably punting a puppy somewhere. Jonathan Martin is at a gay bar getting paid to do it. Will fuging Yeatman was our only hope and he tore his ACL washing his legs in the shower.....we are starting at left guard Sam Brenner (who was on Dallas' practice squad during halloween) and Nate Garner at Center (unless Mike Pouncey comes back). Your front seven will need two seats each on the airplane to Miami...one for them to sit, and one for them to place their boners from being so excited about going against this offensive paper bag....er....I mean line.
• Ryan Tannehill needs help. Our running game average 5 inches per carry against Tampa Bay......no I did NOT type that wrong. 5 INCHESSSSSS PER CARRY!!!!! Against Tampa. The skin diseased leporsy patients. FML
• Our defense tackles about as good as those same mentally challenged kids on roller skates....exept put them on an ice rink. Yeah. Terrible. Phillip Wheeler makes me miss Channing Crowder....hes that bad against the run.
• We are the Dolphins. We just got into the playoff hunt at 5-5 we always choke when the going gets tough. Incognito should've spent more time toughening up this coaching staff instead of worrying about Jonathan Martins gay ass.......and yes I really think hes gay. That will never come out. But hes gay.

 

So there you have it. Hope you enjoyed as much as I enjoyed typing it. After the game Ill continue to root for the Panthers, especially against the Saints and that twat QB with the super continent Pangea on his face!

 

Go Dolphins!!!

GTFO....Phins suck...you suck....how dare you grace our board with you awefulness.....

 

Just kidding.....

 

Good to see you back her Phin....you have been missed.  We need more quality fans like you posting here (even if you are another team's fan). 

 

Pull up a chair....pour a beer....and please stay for a while.

[AviationMX]

Hey Dolphins fan here. Mess, not really. The backups came in and did a solid job in Incognito's absence. Average, yes. The OL is very strange imo. They will play solid for the first  3 quarters but horribly in the 4th, where most of the sacks are coming from. Prior to TB game, where we lost our starting 2 OL,  we were averaging 144 yards rushing coming off the bye. What you're missing is the Dolphins are very unpredictable and have been for quite some time. You'll either get a hungry team that will come out and smack you in the mouth early (17-0 halftime week 8 against the Pats) or a team that makes several mistakes (TO's) and can't catch up in the 4th. I'd say the fact that they haven't played a complete game yet could be why. 

 

Gotcha, as Panthers fans we know exactly what you mean. There was nothing more frustrating than starting out the last two seasons losing tight games only to win late in the season when it means nothing. Although I don't think the we will overlook this game or will be flat, if we get behind early in the game and have to force the ball down field- it would favor Dolphins.

 

 I would expect the same ball control and heavy doses of rushing that have worked for us this year...

[Henne Given Sunday]

Good luck to you guys getting the wildcard. I live in west palm, have lots of friends that are phins fans. Hartline is underated, hope we win sunday but good luck to you guys again, you all have a great and respectfull fan and a good young team. Had a much fun with you guys chearing against the patriots as me for the panthers.

I moved to Charlotte from Wellington FL in 2008. Hows the 561 treating you!?

[Henne Given Sunday]

Gotcha, as Panthers fans we know exactly what you mean. There was nothing more frustrating than starting out the last two seasons losing tight games only to win late in the season when it means nothing. Although I don't think the we will overlook this game or will be flat, if we get behind early in the game and have to force the ball down field- it would favor Dolphins.

 

 I would expect the same ball control and heavy doses of rushing that have worked for us this year...

Yeah it's the same old stuff from Miami. So inconsistent every year. We have a saying in my household....the Dolphins are always bad enough to not win a superbowl, but always just good enough to get a middle of the pack draft pick and not get significantly better.

 

Honestly watching both of these teams as closely as I have the last 5-6 years I have realized sooooo many similarities its insane. We always pick around each other in the draft......we always win games we shouldnt but lose to teams we should beat. We had the same weaknesses at key positions.

 

This year in Cams third year the Panthers are turning a corner, I hope the Dolphins keep the trend going and in Tannehills third year next year we do the same!

[SCP]

What are the odds from Vegas that Tannehill dies Sunday? Might want to make a bet.

CJ is going to be out so they can focus on Hardy and dare the Horton/Addison/Alexander trio to beat them.

[Henne Given Sunday]

CJ is going to be out so they can focus on Hardy and dare the Horton/Addison/Alexander trio to beat them.

As an offensive coordinator thats what I'd do. Roll the pocket away from Hardy, hope Wallace gets behin the defense. Also, don't underestimate Wallace bringing two defenders deep and Tannehill hitting Clay, Hartline or Matthews underneath. I'd run some screens and draw plays to Hardys side as well knowing CJ isnt blazing from across the line towards the play.

[lovelett]

I moved to Charlotte from Wellington FL in 2008. Hows the 561 treating you!?

 

Funny, I moved down here around the same time. A lot different than Charlotte but I like it.

[osd22]

Great writeup, thanks! Have some pie.