Bummed about the JT signing, but the silver lining is...

[Grizzafted]

I'm not feeling too hot about the LB corps we're walking into camp with, but on the bright side, we are returning an extremely solid front three, the DROY, and an Adailus Thomas who was starting to come into his own as a pass rusher when he was injured. Problem is, if he goes out again this year, we're looking at, what, Pierre Woods and Shawn Crable on the outside? The secondary should be improved, but this team could look a lot like an early 2000s Colts team if we can't pressure the quarterback.

Here's crossing my fingers and hoping Shawn Crable shows up ready to play this year, cause I am not a Woods believer. I think Guyton could continue to play well inside, but we could have problems against the run if he can't take on those guards. It's foolish to think Bruschi has that left in him.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Bill Parcells is just bending Joey Porter over to keep him from having a big head after 17.5 sacks.

 

[slash83]

I dont think the Pats are done making over the roster, I no odds are against it at this point but I cant seem to shake the thought of them not making a move for Peppers or some other impact player via trade, call me crazy say what you want but I think Bb has something up his sleeve in the works. Or maybe im just crazy but will see.

 

[JMarr]

Didn't think we needed Taylor before, so this doesn't worry me at all. As long as Thomas stays healthy, the Pats will be fine. Vrabel was an anomaly in 2007- we traditionally don't get many sacks out of Woods' position anyways.

We saw the problems an anemic pass rush caused last year. Taylor obviously has little drive left--he wants to coast along and spend the next two years in his comfort zone, meaning a mediocre team and no chance for a ring. If those are his priorities, good for him, but we would have little use for him. But Taylor usually makes Brady's life hell, so that in itself makes it a good move for Miami.

As for A. Thomas, he's coming off a broken arm and our defense suffered terribly as a result when he was put on IR. He's what, 32? If he gets injured again, we have a problems Not an ideal position to be in, as LB's are the heart of this defense and our secondary will be inexperienced. Seau could be an answer--slide him inside and let Guyton move outside--his more natural position, IMO. Here's to Crable, Woods, Redd, or TBC emerging as this year's big surprise

 

[Deus Irae]

We saw the problems an anemic pass rush caused last year. Taylor obviously has little drive left--he wants to coast along and spend the next two years in his comfort zone, meaning a mediocre team and no chance for a ring. If those are his priorities, good for him, but we would have little use for him. But Taylor usually makes Brady's life hell, so that in itself makes it a good move for Miami.

As for A. Thomas, he's coming off a broken arm and our defense suffered terribly as a result when he was put on IR. He's what, 32? If he gets injured again, we have a problems Not an ideal position to be in, as LB's are the heart of this defense and our secondary will be inexperienced. Seau could be an answer--slide him inside and let Guyton move outside--his more natural position, IMO. Here's to Crable, Woods, Redd, or TBC emerging as this year's big surprise

People keep making comments like this, but Miami did win the division last season and they are clearly a team on the rise.

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

We saw the problems an anemic pass rush caused last year. Taylor obviously has little drive left--he wants to coast along and spend the next two years in his comfort zone, meaning a mediocre team and no chance for a ring. If those are his priorities, good for him, but we would have little use for him. But Taylor usually makes Brady's life hell, so that in itself makes it a good move for Miami.

As for A. Thomas, he's coming off a broken arm and our defense suffered terribly as a result when he was put on IR. He's what, 32? If he gets injured again, we have a problems Not an ideal position to be in, as LB's are the heart of this defense and our secondary will be inexperienced. Seau could be an answer--slide him inside and let Guyton move outside--his more natural position, IMO. Here's to Crable, Woods, Redd, or TBC emerging as this year's big surprise

Hello everyone
But do you actually think Parcells would bring in someone who he thought would do such a thing?
And at the start of last year, did anyone see Brady going down week 1? The East is going to be a fight this year. To think other wise is under estimating your opponents.

 

[Deus Irae]

Hello everyone
But do you actually think Parcells would bring in someone who he thought would do such a thing?
And at the start of last year, did anyone see Brady going down week 1? The East is going to be a fight this year. To think other wise is under estimating your opponents.

Not really. As you pointed out, Brady went down in week one. Despite that, the Dolphins only won the division on a tiebreaker. Both the Patriots and the Dolphins feasted on the stiffs of the league last year, but the schedule isn't going to be as kind to the Dolphins this season. Dolphins fans should probably be happy if their team gets above .500, and absolutely out of their minds with joy if that team somehow manages to win 10 games.

@Atlanta
Indianapolis
@San Diego
Buffalo
Jets
Saints
@Jets
@New England

Rough estimate way too early in the year.... loss to ATL or N.O., IND, SD, NE, Split with Jets.... That's 3-5 right there

Tampa
@Carolina
@Buffalo
Patriots
@Jacksonville
@Tennessee
Houston
Pittsburgh

Rough estimate.... loss to Carolina, NE, Pittsburgh, Ten or Houston....
That's 4-4 right there.

That comes out to 7-9, and I don't think that's being overly rough on the matchups. That gives the Dolphins a sweep against the Bills, wins against Jacksonville, Tampa, Tennessee OR Houston, Atlanta OR the Saints, and the Jets. Obviously, I'm not guaranteeing that record at this point in the year, but I think that's a pretty darned fair assessment based upon that schedule.

 

[JMarr]

Hello everyone
But do you actually think Parcells would bring in someone who he thought would do such a thing?
And at the start of last year, did anyone see Brady going down week 1? The East is going to be a fight this year. To think other wise is under estimating your opponents.

1. Keep Taylor away from the Pats and filling our most glaring need. More dance opportunities down in South Beach.
2. Thinking Taylor will be the player he was in Miami--probably not going to happen.
3. Another shot over the bow to Belichick.
4. Parcells loves his high profile guys. And his loyalty to players he's familiar with has proven to be misquided (or lazy) at times in the past.

I do think it's going to be a dogfight as always when they play each other. But Miami was a miracle team last year, has a brutal schedule this time around, and that wildcat sh!t will be neutralized. It caught the Pats by surprise last year and they weren't able have someone knock Pennington into the 22nd century on every play, ala Marshall Faulk in the SB.

 

[PatsFan24]

**** i hate the dolphins. i hate them more than the colts. i hope they lose every game this year.

 

[MoLewisrocks]

Taylor obviously has little drive left--he wants to coast along and spend the next two years in his comfort zone, meaning a mediocre team and no chance for a ring. If those are his priorities, good for him, but we would have little use for him.

People keep making comments like this, but Miami did win the division last season and they are clearly a team on the rise.

Dolphins fans should probably be happy if their team gets above .500, and absolutely out of their minds with joy if that team somehow manages to win 10 games.

Um....OK

Most of the pundits seem to expect Miami to fall back in year 2 of the Tuna remodel. At 33 Taylor had issues with playing out his remaining limited career for a team in a rebuild. Those got him traded to DC. He essentially walked away from $8.5M and the final year of his traded deal to become a FA at 34. Then when free he chose to return to a team in a rebuild (and one Tuna will quite probably walk away from himself after this season...). It's an odd turn of events from a man who relocated his family to LA a year ago so he could spend the summer dancing on TV while pondering movie deals and lamented possibly ending his football career on a team that non competitive for most of it because TFB was in his division. A team whose former owner, as I recall, agreed with his lament to the point he publicly stated (before Tuna gagged him) Taylor had deserved a shot...

That really does sound like a guy who has settled on persuing a safe course of playing out the string in relative personal and professional comfort as opposed to reaching for the ring.

Give me a guy like Junior or Rodney any day. When they say at the backend of their career it's about winning, they mean it. I'm sure on some level Jason wants to win a ring, it's just not THAT important to him. He's had his eye on too many other competing, distracting concerns like his post football career and marketability and marrriage to act on it. And frankly the guy who can't commit to the mantra that playing championship football is job #1 while he's here...doesn't fit here.

That his market is now $1.1-1.5M on a one year deal tells me the two Bill's both see him as a situational/rotational/depth player at best. He's not Jason Taylor any more, he's what's left of Jason Taylor. And they way things are unfolding down at Landshark Stadium...whose to say which voices carried the day. Maybe the new owner believes that an icon with hopes of a movie career can help land him a better naming rights deal down the road...

 

[BTTA]

If staying close to home was more important to Taylor than winning, than I don't want him. I want my team to be hungry, I want them to want to win the Superbowl more than anything else. I don't want some "gifted" athlete who just wants another year playing in the Miami sun.

exactly what went through my mind when his Miami signing hit the news.