Author: Bill

Pitiful Picks: Can the Dolphins get off to a good start in 2015?

Sep. 13 Pitiful Picks

 

After 8+ months of waiting, it’s finally time for the Miami Dolphins to play in a REAL football game.  With the start of the 2015 season, it’s time for us to begin our weekly game of prognostication.  These picks are called pitiful for a reason. However, last year we weren’t too shabby, finishing 12 games over .500.  Hopefully this year brings about more Dolphins wins…..and less-pitiful picks from the PhinNation staff!

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Cowboys -6 over Giants

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a good 2014 season and look primed to fight with the Eagles for the NFC East title this year.  Yes, they lost Demarco Murray, but that offensive line is so good, I’m pretty sure Miami Jules could run for 1,000 yards this season!  The Giants, meanwhile, have a ton of injuries.  Their offensive line has question marks and their defense looks extremely suspect.  Yes, they have a great quarterback and a good receiving corps, but I think they’re in for a long season.  It starts with a rough game in Dallas against a quality Cowboys team.  Prediction: Cowboys 27 – Giants 17

Vikings -3 over 49ers

The Vikings improved as 2014 went on and I think they could potentially finish 2nd in the NFC North this year.  The 49ers on the other hand, are a complete mess. They’ve had players suspended, injured, retire, etc. and are nothing like the team that Jim Harbaugh had contending with the Seahawks a few years ago.  I don’t think Colin Kapernick has enough weapons on offense and I think their defense is a huge liability.  The Vikings arrive with a motivated Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, who looks like the real deal. Prediction:  Vikings 24 – 49ers 13

Eagles -3 over Falcons

Some people think the Falcons will win the NFC South this year.  While I think that may be true, I don’t like this matchup for them against the Eagles.  The Eagles quick strike, fast-paced offense will give the Falcons trouble.  The combination of north/south running from Demarco Murray and accurate quick hitting passes from Sam Bradford, will keep the pass rush away and the ball moving down the field.  I don’t love the Eagles defense, I need to see how improved it is once the games start.  Sam Bradford is a good QB, the question over the long term is whether or not he can stay healthy.  The long term doesn’t matter in this week’s game because he’ll be starting. So I’ll take the Eagles -3.  Prediction:  Eagles 36 – Falcons 30

Dolphins -4 over Redskins

A lot of people are picking the Dolphins this week in their survivor pools. That scares the crap out of me!  I think of myself as a realistic Dolphins fan.  I usually tend to be more pessimistic than optimistic (this team has done this to me!).  However, I think they match up well against the Redskins.  I think the offense will do it’s job and score plenty of points.  But it’s on defense where I think we could see a dominating performance.  Kirk Cousins doesn’t exactly scare me and neither does the rest of the Redskins offense.  I’m confident that Mr. Suh and Mr. Wake will be featured in Captain Kirk’s nightmares all next week, after Sunday’s game.

The Dolphins now they need to get off to a good start because the schedule gets harder as the season moves along. Yes, they have some road games early, but on paper, those are winnable games.  Making a statement this weekend against what looks to be a Redskins team in disarray, would be a nice start.  Prediction:  Dolphins 27 – Redskins 13

Follow us on Twitter @PhinNation to see our thoughts DURING the game

PhinNation returns, just in time for the Dolphins season!

Sep. 12 Opinion

That’s right Dolphins fans, PhinNation is back, just in time for the start of the Dolphins 2015 season!  We’ve taken quite a bit of time off, but with good reason.  The PhinNation family welcomed a new member of the family last year, so we’ve been…..um…..busy!   But we’re back and look forward to enjoying (hopefully) the Dolphins season with all of you.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

So a lot has changed since we last posted our thoughts on the Dolphins.  Ryan Tannehill got paid like a franchise quarterback…..the Dolphins revamped their wide receiving corps…….the Dolphins signed a boy named Suh…….and Jeff Ireland got another job….in the NFL.  Shocking!

Look, at the beginning of the season, hope springs eternal for all 32 teams in the NFL.  Optimism runs rampant at this time of year, because all fans have been hearing about is how much their favorite team has improved since we saw them last year.  The preseason gives us very little to judge if that is in fact the case.  Why?  Because the preseason sucks.  If you’re biggest accomplishment is a player NOT getting hurt, the games cannot be taken seriously.

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer to see what teams are for real and what teams aren’t.  The NFL season started on Thursday night, with the Patriots allegedly cheating (again) and beating the Steelers.  There are a lot of interesting games in week 1, but the only one we’re focused on is the game taking place in Washington D.C.  The Dolphins will finally play a game that counts and we’ll get to see just how good Ryan Tannehill and his new weapons are.  We’ll also get to see if the Dolphins defense is as good as we all hope it can be.

We’ll have our Pitiful Picks back this year, hoping we can build on a solid season last year.  We’ll pick 3 games plus the Dolphins game every week.  Be sure to check back tomorrow morning (Sunday) for our thoughts on the Dolphins/Redskins game and our prediction for the final score.

It’s great to be back.  Let’s sit back, enjoy the ride.

Pitiful Picks: Can the Dolphins get back on track….in London?

Sep. 28 Pitiful Picks

 

By Bill (@PhinNation on Twitter)

The Miami Dolphins will look to get their season back on track today, when they take on the Raiders in London.  Unlike the Dolphins, our Pitiful Picks are red-hot!  We went 4-1 last week, with our only loss coming from….wait for it…..the Dolphins!

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

This week has some pretty interesting matchups and we’re going to stick with our theme from last week: Taking the team that NEEDS the win. So….here we go:

Colts -7.5 over Titans

We’re going with the Colts again. They’re 1-2 and need to beat up on teams like the Titans.  After a surprising week 1 win over the Chiefs, the Titans haven’t looked good.  Meanwhile, the Colts are trying to get healthy and beat up on teams after a tough 0-2 start to their season.  Andrew Luck lit up the Jaguars last week on the road and I expect him to do similar things to the Titans. This won’t be pretty.  Prediction: Colts 34 Titans 17

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Pitiful Picks: Will the Dolphins get back to winning?

Sep. 21 Pitiful Picks

 

By Bill (@PhinNation on Twitter)

Back by popular demand, we present our Pitiful Picks!  We’ll pick a selection of games, including the Dolphins game, every week.  At the end of the year, we’ll look forward to being mocked….endlessly.  Last year, we started off slow, but were able to rebound and finish above .500.  We even took the Seahawks as underdogs in the Super Bowl and won!  But that was last year, this week we’re starting with a blank slate.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

In our preseason predictions, we had the Dolphins beating the Patriots and losing to the Bills.  Are they that predictable?  Apparently so!  We won’t count those 2 victories, like I said, we’re starting fresh this week.  If you choose to play along, leave your picks BEFORE THE 1 O’CLOCK GAMES, in the comment section!  We’re using the CBS point spreads, so if you have a problem with the spreads, take it up with them.  Here we go:

Colts – 6.5 over Jaguars

You’re probably going to notice a theme here: desperation.  The Colts are 0-2 after tough losses to the Broncos and Eagles. They’re on the road, but it’s hard not to pick them when they NEED a win, they’re playing the Jaguars, and the spread is less than a touchdown.  Andrew Luck will not lose to the Jaguars and I’m betting the Colts come out and make short work of their AFC South foes.  Prediction:  Colts 30 Jaguars 13

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Tannehill’s play must improve or ‘We Want Moore’ chants will get louder

Sep. 16 Opinion

By Julian (Miami_Jules on Twitter)

It has happened again! The Miami Dolphins, going into the 2nd game of the season following a brilliant and glorious game against New England last week, managed to not just lose the game, but to get soundly outperformed at every level by the Buffalo Bills. Please tell me we’re not about to re-live 2013 all over again and that this game was just an accident, a compilation of all that could go wrong instead.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

There were few positives coming out of this game and since the list of horrors is a lengthy one, I’ll list the good things first, believe me, there are not that many. It was reassuring to see rookie running back Damian Williams doing well, after Knowshon Moreno had to leave the game and Miller’s struggling performance. The second positive we could take from the game is… actually, there are no more positives we can take from the game.

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When will they stop being the ‘Same old Dolphins’?

Sep. 16 Opinion

 

By Bill (@PhinNation on Twitter)

As good as the Miami Dolphins looked in week 1 against the Patriots, they looked every bit as bad in week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.  The offense stunk….the defense wasn’t great……and the special teams were….well…..’special’.  Add it all up and you had the EXACT performance we fans expected from the Dolphins following their surprising win against the Patriots.  I am no Nostradamous, but I said on Twitter that ‘if the Dolphins beat the Patriots, I expect them to lose next week against the Bills’.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Why would a life-long fan, who wants nothing but the best for his team feel this way?  Because I’ve seen it before.  You’ve seen it before. The Miami Dolphins are the Hangover movie.  WE ALL KNOW HOW THE MOVIE ENDS.  Sadly and predictably, this is what it’s felt like to be a Dolphins fan for the last 5 years:

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The Dolphins’ Lazor Effect

Sep. 09 Opinion

By Julian (@Miami_Jules on Twitter)

The Miami Dolphins offense, coming off a sack ridden year last season, had its work cut out by starting the new season under a new offensive coordinator and brand new offensive line. Few predicted other than a less than promising season for the Phins, who failed to sell the play action last season because of a non-existent running game, and long drawn out plays from the pocket.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Many times last year,  the Miami defense looked exhausted and spent because of the offense inability to keep a sustained drive alive which only compounded the many problems facing the team, but change was coming and today change was evident on both sides of the ball, when Miami beat New England by coming from behind for a change.

Another change from last year was the fact that the higher scoring game favored Miami, a sign that the dynamics of new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor’s plan had been embraced, digested and was about to be executed on the field of play.

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Dolphins Gameplan: Can the Dolphins upset the Patriots?

Sep. 05 Dolphins Gameplan

 

By Cyrus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)

The New England Patriots have won 10 straight season openers.  That is the third best mark in league history, behind the Dallas Cowboys (17, 1965-1982) and the Miami Dolphins (11, 1992-2002).  They also have spanked the AFC East since 2001, with a 63-17 record and a .788 winning percentage.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

In more recent upsetting news they claimed safety Don Jones and added Marcus Thigpen to their practice squad in anticipation for this critical first week matchup between the dominant team in the division and their strongest challenger, the Miami Dolphins.

The Patriots have not only picked up two special team standouts, but they have also gained two experts on what the new look Miami Dolphins will be looking to do this year in order to take this game and make a serious run at the division title.

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Final PhinNation Prediction: Playoff teams & Super Bowl Champs

Sep. 04 Pitiful Picks

 

By Bill (@PhinNation on Twitter)

Alright, so Jules and Cyrus have laid out their predictions for the 2014 NFL season, so I guess it’s my turn.  Jules thinks the Dolphins are winning the Super Bowl and Cyrus thinks they can reach the AFC Title Game.  I wish I were as confident, but I will hope that they’re right!

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Alright, here goes, these are my playoff teams for the 2014 NFL Season:

AFC

West: Broncos 12-4

East: Patriots 11-5

South: Colts 11-5

North: Steelers 9-7

Wild Card: Chargers 10-6

Wild Card: Dolphins 9-7*

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PhinNation Predictions Part 3: Game by Game Dolphins picks for the 2014 season

Sep. 04 Opinion

 

The Miami Dolphins are about to kickoff year 3 of their most recent re-build.  Ryan Tannehill enters year 3 in the NFL…..Joe Philbin enters year 3 as the Dolphins Head Coach…..and both need to come up big this year.  Philbin likely needs to guide his team to the playoffs in order to stay in Miami beyond this season.  The team brought in a new offensive coordinator, who’s offense will finally be unveiled on Sunday.  The defense made a few tweaks, but remains a question mark.  Will the offseason changes by new GM, Dennis Hickey be enough?

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

You’ve probably already read through Cyrus and Jules predictions for the season.  Spoiler Alert: I’m not as optimistic as they are. Cyrus had the Dolphins making it to the Conference Championship game and Jules had the team winning the Super Bowl.  I’m not going to give away my prediction just yet, but I will say that I’m cautiously optimistic.  Here’s how I see the season playing out:

vs. New England

Lazor unveils his new, high-speed offense.  Will the Dolphins be able to pass the ball effectively against a very good Patriots secondary?  Will they be able to stop the run?  Will the South Florida heat make the Patriots wilt?  I’d love for the answer to all of those questions to be yes.  One matchup that scares me to death is Vince Wilfork against Samson Satele.  Wilfork has stolen Satele’s lunch money in the past and I actually fear for Satele’s health after this game (and Tannehill’s).  Despite all of that, I think the Dolphins find a way to excite the fanbase, pulling off the upset of week 1!  Prediction: Dolphins 27 Patriots 24 (1-0)

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