Showing posts with label Miami Dolphins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami Dolphins. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

It's what you do without the ball...

Coastal Carolina Alum Tyler Thigpen
We depart serious subjects YOU want to talk about, to stuff only I (and maybe a few of you) want to talk about. SPORTS! Of course, my favorite and only consistent fanatical interest in sports for the past 43 years has been the Miami Dolphins!
My team is a mediocre 5-4 this year, only winning it's first game at home on Sunday. I got to watch part of it while doing my laundry.

Chad Pennington went down. Ouch. Chad is one of my favorite people. I really think I could throw the ball as often and as far down the field as Chad Pennington does, even at 56. The man has what is known as a "noodle arm" which hadn't been helped much by the fact that had three shoulder surgeries throughout his career, on his THROWING arm. The latest came last year. Pennington is a trooper, a magician and relentlessly upbeat. He does everything without the ball that a quarterback should be expected to do.

That brings us to Chad Henne. Henne seems reticent, not quite as bright (for all I know he has twice the IQ Pennington does) and more a company man waiting "his turn." He seems to want to learn "on the job" as opposed to "off the field." Henne was replaced by Pennington after eight games because the team needed to know that change was necessary to have a championship season. That's how it goes if you're a quarterback. It may not be Henne's fault that the team didn't have a winning record before Sunday's game, but it wasn't his fault that they had one either as evidenced by the fact that, well, they didn't have a winning record. Thus we went back to ole spark plug Pennington who can work his way down the field with virtually no arm at all.

Only on Sunday Chad P went out after two passes, for the season, again (fourth throwing shoulder injury).

Then Chad H put in a good performance, and went down for a while (who knows how long?) with a knee injury, and in walks Tyler Thigpen, picked up as insurance last year for a low round draft choice from Kansas City. I LIKE Tyler Thigpen. I liked him when he was with KC.

Tyler only put icing on the cake and did what he needed to do when the game was on the line to win the game. He was third string. That means NO practice with the first team. But Tyler said he took "100 mental reps" before he went into the game.

That, and the picture above makes me think the Coastal Carolina product (not known for producing NFL players) may kick everyone out of the driver seat and take over. Tyler has the attitude of a quarterback, much like Dan Marino's successor (Jay Fiedler) did. In the above picture, Tyler does not have the ball, he's not "under center" or throwing or dropping back in some classic pose, he's completely out of the play, probably between plays, and look at him.

He think he's in charge. Comments from the locker room make me think the team sees him that way too. Good luck to you Mr. Thigpen. May you stop my team from wasting endless 2nd round draft picks (A J Feeley, Daunte Culpepper, John Beck, Pat White and perhaps now even Chad Henne) on QUARTERBACKS. A lot of people think it's bad coaching but I think it's the ghost of (I didn't win any superbowls) Dan Marino, that has hobbled my team for the last 11 years. Look at what we've spent to replace him. In the end it may be that the two most durable starters will turn out to be bargain bin acquisitions. The aforementioned Mr. Fiedler and Mr. Thigpen.
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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Goodbye Zach

Zach Thomas retires, as a Dolphin:
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Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Why can't they...get along?

The "Sporting Pharisee" is a Miami Dolphins fan, as some of you may know. I have been one since before Don Shula. Before there was even one winning season.
One of "our" (notice the ownership) division rivals is the New York Jets. Why would the "Fins" let one of the greatest defenders, a man with gas still in the tank, go to the enemy?

It sets up the possibility that Jason alone could be responsible for the Dolphins losing a division championship in 2010. Jason is one of the few players who can seem to "will" victory, from defeat. Playing for an inferior Miami Dolphin team in 2006, IN Chicago, Jason came from a "down" position (DE/LB) to influence the game so heavily that he won it on his own.

Playing DEFENSE.

At a lineman's position.

Against Chicago.

In Chicago.

Against an undefeated team (at the time).

The Dolphins at that point in the season had only one win.

It just doesn't make sense to me to let him go when he has almost certainly, a few more such games to play.
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Saturday, September 05, 2009

Cut Down Day

Are you useful to the team? I take my cues from Miami Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland, in their front office. "Blogroll" links are like players on a football team and if ultimately, there is no foreseeable future for you, you're outta here. Today's Cutdowns are:


Church of God and Messianic News. Reason for the Cut? They retired.

The Naz. A quirky Iranian ex-patriot artist who blogs infrequently. I can explain her being on the blogroll for no other reason than I found her attractive, in art, etc. She's not contributing though. Buh bye.

Medius Oriens. Great Blog. No blogging. For that reason Medius Oriens other blog, "Neda's Voice" are outta here.

Nova Scotia Scott, RPM, and I am Simon Jester. All much loved, all gone for the same reason Medius is.

PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform): Pro Libertate. He's still here but when he gets well, maybe William should think "Link Back."

More cutdowns may take place, and roster additions. To stay on the Pharisee's blogroll, these things are really important. BLOG!, Think, Be Honest, LINK BACK.


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Monday, January 14, 2008

The Pharisee's Super Bowl Hopes.

Not having something heavy to say this AM, I shall turn to my fleshly interest in the NFL.
I am a Miami Dolphins fan so I don't have an iron in the SuperBowl fire.

I'm hoping for a Green Bay-San Diego matchup. I'm leaning San Diego for the winner. I expect a New England - Green Bay pairing and I expect New England will win. Hopes and Dreams, what can I say? My Dolphins weren't the first NFL team to complete a perfect NFL regular season, if I get my wish they will still be the only team to complete the entire season perfect. We will see.

I'm rooting for a San Diego win. I have been a Norv Turner fan off and on ever since I thought he didn't get a fair shake at Washington. I have admired the offenses he has put together, I like the way he handles developing quarterbacks. He has made poor selections when it comes to where to work, but this time he did not. In addition while all the teams still in the SuperBowl tourney are veterans of prior bowls, only one team has never won one, da Bolts.

Green Bay was a close second for a favorite in the final four. I was never a Brett Favre fan and thought he was overrated though he has shown remarkable tenacity for a man that even Green Bay thought would play about 4-5 years in the NFL. I don't know what ever became of his "Bad Hip" issue but it hasn't stopped Brett from starting every NFL regular season game since he replaced Green Bay QB and then poster boy "Magic Man Don Majkowski" when he went down. I know every Green Bay fan thought the season was over. I know I did. I know the resident Green Bay female fan who had a Fat Boy sized Don Majkowski on her office wall thought they were done. Boy did they forget.

This season Brett won a special place in my heart even though he was destroying Dan Marino's last claims to fame in the record books. An old guy, playing well beyond any projected prime is playing like he is in his prime. Good on you Brett. You go boy. Win won for my late father in law, but I'll be rooting against you all the same, but this time, I'll be admiring you.
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