Moving Forward

After starting the season 0-7, the Miami Dolphins are on a two-game winning streak and seem to be enjoying themselves on the gridiron. Loosing is very tough on a team, especially when they had come so close so many times. Matt Moore became perhaps the most unlikely player to win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award after his performance against the Kansas City Chiefs and had a respectable showing against the Redskins this week. With all of the criticism and bashing they have received (myself included) they have stuck by their coach and dug in to win these games.

This week  they play a Bills team that started off very strong, but has struggled recently.  While a few weeks ago I would have thought they have no chance to win, I think they definitely have a chance. They need to play good defense like they are capable of and hope that Matt Moore, Reggie Bush, Brandon Marshall and co. can contribute enough offense. While the rest of the season is going to be tough, it will give a good benchmark to see what they have going into the draft, free agency and next season.  

Finally

The Dolphins won their first game in what was a rout of a Chiefs team that had won four games in a row.  This was a successful game from both the offensive and defensive standpoints, even without Vontae Davis who was held out of the game for non-injury related reasons.  Matt Moore had by far his best game completing 17 of 23 passes, with 3 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 147.5 passer rating.  He had the first three touchdown passing game for the Dolphins since Chad Pennington did it in 2008, when they won the AFC East.  Reggie Bush added 92 rushing yards on 13 attempts, including one touchdown.  He also had 3 catches for 50 receiving yards, giving him the best game as a Dolphin.  Brandon Marshall also finally contributed in a big way and had 8 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

With such great contributions from so many of their key components it really showed what the Dolphins can do when they are playing well together.  In addition, the defense had their best game of the season, giving up only 3 points.  The defense does have considerable room to improve considering the Chiefs time of possession was much longer than the Dolphins.  All in all this was a great win for the Dolphins who were really struggling and looking as if they may loose all of their games this season.  Only time will tell if this was a one week fluke, or if they will build on this win for the rest of the season.

What a Series

This year’s World Series was one of the most exciting in history, highlighted by Game 6 in which the Cardinals came back multiple times to win in extra innings.  For the first time in years I found myself watching every game of the World Series and enjoying it.  Usually if the Yankees are not in the series I watch maybe a couple of games and don’t really think about it, but this series kept me wanting more.  I can’t think of a World Series that has been this exciting in a long time.

 

The drama and back stories with the Cardinals going from having virtually no chance of making the playoffs and had to beat two tough opponents in the Phillies and Brewers.  Texas had a lot of hope to return to the World Series after falling to the San Francisco Giants last year.  After last year’s loss the Rangers were hoping to win the franchise’s first championship.  In dramatic fashion the Cardinals were able to come back to win the series.  To make it even more special, longtime manager Tony La Russa announced shortly after the win that he would be retiring.  This was such a fitting ending for one of the best managers ever.  What this Cardinals team was special and the whole team, especially Tony La Russa should be extremely proud of their team.

And... they blow it

This past game is one of the most disappointing and hardest losses (there are many) I have ever had as a Dolphins fan.  Not only did the team collapse in the final two and a half minutes, but they did it after controlling the whole game and allowing Tim Tebow of all people to win it.  Being a lifelong Seminoles fan it makes it extremely tough that a Gator came in and decimated my team in the final minutes.  After struggling against the Dolphins defense and producing no points, Tebow scored two touchdowns and a two point conversion to send the game into overtime.

The Broncos game was also the most winnable game on the schedule and this makes the possibility of the Dolphins going 0-16 more likely.  After this game, the Eagles are the only team left on the schedule with a loosing record, but they have the potential to be much better than they have played this year.  As each game goes on the more likely it becomes that the Dolphins will join the 1976 Buccaneers and the 2008 Lions as the only teams in the modern football era to loose all of their games.  Such futility would put the Dolphins as one of the worst teams ever, but give them a very good shot at Andrew Luck.  Such a situation is a terrible one to be as a fan, but above all I hope my team can at least win one game this season.

Luck to dictate where he plays?

Rumors are now swirling that Andrew Luck may refuse to sign with certain teams if they pick him.  He could choose to do something similar to what Eli Manning did when the San Diego Chargers selected him, but refused to play for them.  On draft day in 2004 there were rumors that if picked by the Chargers he would refuse to play for them and for a trade with another team.  When the Chargers picked him, Eli did in fact refuse to play for them and was subsequently traded to the New York Giants.  Manning encountered a lot of criticism for making those demands, and similar sentiment would be had for Luck.

According to these rumors a team that Luck could potentially refuse to play for are the Miami Dolphins.  They have a very poor track record with quarterbacks recently, having gone through 16 different starting quarterbacks since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season.  Due to this it will be very hard to make Miami an attractive place for a quarterback to play.  They could allow Luck to dictate a lot of what happens in the offseason as far as who is hired as a head coach, but that may not be enough to convince him that the Dolphins is the team for him.  It is completely ridiculous, but unfortunately the circumstance that a rookie with no prior NFL experience could demand so much from an organization and potentially refuse to play for them.  The draft is designed to help the worst teams get the best players, but a situation like this would allow one player to change that, much like Eli did in 2004.

Suck for Luck

This is the new decision for many teams to make about their season and to determine whether or not their season is a complete lost cause.  Everyone is drooling over Andrew Luck, who is the most hyped quarterback to enter the league since Payton Manning was drafted in 1998.  Ironically, the Indianapolis Colts are one of the teams that with Manning sitting out due to an injury are put in this situation.  My Miami Dolphins are also in the conversation of eventually getting Luck and every week he just gives more reasons to do so. 

Luck is now so advanced at his position that he is calling his own plays, which is something that not all NFL quarterbacks are able to do.  So far this year Luck has a Quarterback Rating of 182.3 with a 73.1 completion percentage with 14 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions and thrown for 1383 yards through only five games.  These are numbers that are unheard of in college football and sets him miles apart from all other quarterbacks to come into the NFL in over ten years.  While it is still unknown who will land the number one pick, it is a virtual certainty that Luck will be taken with it.  So let the Suck for Luck sweepstakes begin! 

The State of Rain in Playoff Baseball

The playoffs are only a few days old and weather has already thrown a wrench into the equation.  The Yankees-Tigers series has seen rain affect both of their games so far.  The first game, which featured aces C.C. Sabathia and Justin Verlander was postponed due to heavy rain that saw them only pitch through the middle of the second inning.  This meant that both teams had to go to their number two starters to finish the first game and the pitching match-ups for the whole series were now in disarray. 

                                                                                                     UPI/John Angelillo

The Yankees over the past few postseasons have adopted a three-pitcher rotation model, featuring C.C. pitching on short rest throughout the playoffs.  This model has been successful in the past for them and was a key factor in winning the World Series in 2009.  With the change in the schedule and loss of an off day, it is no longer possible for the Yankees to go with a three-man rotation and they are forced to potentially have to bring in A.J. Burnett to start a game although he has been very inconsistent on the mound. 

                                                                         Mark Cunningham,Hannah Foslien/Getty

Controversy is also abound on the Tiger’s side where the Yankees gained an advantage in the first game because of the pitching swap that was necessitated by the postponement.  The Yankees swapped a right hander for a left hander and made the Detroit’s lineup not as prepared to face the lefty Ivan Nova as they would have if the lineups could have been reset. 

When both managers were asked about the rain affecting the series they were both quick to point out that both teams have to deal with the same circumstances so it doesn’t bother them.  This may be what they say outwardly, but inwardly there are many aspects that they and all others involved must be frustrated with.  Baseball should work on developing a new plan to deal with the situation of rain in playoff baseball, especially when this is a 5-game series and every game takes on great importance.