Aggression...or the lack thereof?

via ts4.mm.bing.net

At a time when it seems difficult to find positives and faith in the remainder of this season, I find just that when I think about who our Miami Dolphins are and what they have done so far.

To begin, our team is 0-3 as we know and looking at a very uphill fight if we are remain relevant this season.  Like many of you I was saddened, confused, angry, and shocked by the result of Brown’s game.  I question everything!  I question the coaching, the play calling, the quarterback play, the receiver play, special teams, the entire defense (looking at you Cameron Wake WTF!) and come to one alarming conclusion.  We are still a good team!  We will win.  We will find a way to overcome this hole.  We will figure out how to do finish these games out strong.

It would be silly to proclaim that we are going to find a way into the playoffs and into contention this season given the results of our first 3 games, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility that we can do just that.  Watching the game yesterday I saw a team get dominated for 90% of the game.  I saw a team that had a quarterback who looked out of place and overwhelmed.  I saw a team that looked like a 0-3 team.  That team was the Brown’s, and we let them and Colt McCoy beat us.  Sure, there are positives to take away from the loss, but the bottom line is:  We got beat and it sucks.

I have plenty to be hopeful about though.  We have the talent and ability to compete with any team in this league.  We have the right guys on the field, but they are doing the wrong things.  This is correctable.  If we lacked talent and had the same results, I would not be bothering to talk about what we can hope for or expect.  But what we can expect is to lose more games, and hope to win some games.  With some key adjustments, this team is capable of rattling off a long winning streak and making a run for the top. 

Game Plan:  a strategy for reaching an objective.  This is our biggest problem right now.  Our objective is to win.  It is very simple.  We play to win.  But over the last several seasons (probably a decade), our team has not strived for this objective.  We have played to not lose.  We have played to control the tempo and keep it close.  We have not had a coaching staff that is competent and aggressive enough to succeed in today’s NFL.  What we did against the Patriot in the 1st quarter of the 1st game of the season is exactly what we should be doing all of the time, foot on the accelerator, leaving our opponents trying to catch up from a distance.  We lack aggressive play calling and leadership and this will ultimately be our down fall for future seasons until it is corrected.  But the good news is that it is correctable…even by our current coaching staff.

As much as I want to see a change at the top, I am fearful of how our season will turn out if we make that move.  Very few teams have found success with coaching changes during the season.  So rather than throwing away the rest of the season, let us focus our efforts on change.  Let us change the game plan.  Let us change the offensive philosophy.  Let us change the atmosphere of losing in Miami.   

Shaun Yager

Aka– Phinphinatic