I was so furious over the pathetic joke of a football team that I soiled my eyeballs watching on Thursday night, that I practically crawled into a hole over the weekend and paid the sport of football no mind. I didn't even check my fantasy scores. I just didn't care. This team has sucked all my enthusiasm for the sport dry. I've had to think about it for a few days. Had to watch the game again and analyze it and I have to say, it doesn't get any prettier watching it a second time.
Who's to blame? Ryan Tannehill? Yep. That strip fumble was inexcusable. He had 4 seconds to either throw to a receiver, throw it away, or take off with it. For God's sake WHERE IS THE POCKET PRESENCE? If he had just taken ONE STEP forward, he would've probably gotten another half second. Not all of the sacks were his fault but this was the worst of the 5 and it DAMN SURE WAS 100% his fault. In this league, you can't ask for any longer than the O-line gave him on that play.
Who's to blame? Terrence Fede? Yep. Running into the punter a full second after the ball was in the air? FIRED. Period. CUT. Period. That is too stupid a mistake for words. In fact, if you take every stupid thing that every other player on the team did, it all MIGHT barely equal this monumentally idiotic mistake. I don't even know what Terrence Fede's salary is, but for this game, it SHOULD be $0.00. Tired of guys not earning their paychecks.
Who's to blame? Tony Lippett? Yep. He looked like a damn stuffed animal trying to tackle a tank on A.J. Green's TD catch. I don't care if you're the worst CB in the NFL, you're still a professional CB and basic open-field tackling is about as basic as it gets. It literally looked like his arms just flat-out didn't work...like he didn't have bones or something. I'm not even sure Green felt it.
Who's to blame? The O-line? Yep. Not all the sacks were RT's fault. This is getting old now. Learn how to block. I'm sick of watching an O-line that can't block for the run OR the pass. Get SOMETHING right. I don't care if you have injuries on the line. You're all pros. Act like it or go work at McDonalds. It's BS that they make millions doing something that they apparently can't do any better than I could and I'm sitting here making a fraction of what they do. Tell you what Mr. Ross, hire me to play ANY position you want and I'll play for $200k/year with no bonuses. It'll be a huge raise for me, huge savings for you, and I'll play just as well as whoever it is you're overpaying now. Everyone wins.
Basically, blame just about everyone on the offense. Because even when RT is playing well, Kenny Stills is dropping TD passes that a baby with no arms could catch with its feet. Even when RT is playing well, the O-line is getting him killed. Even when RT is playing well, the RBs can't get more than a yard or two. And when the other guys ARE playing well, RT is playing like a rookie....not a rookie QB either....like....If you took a rookie SOCCER player or BASEBALL player and threw him into the QB position...That's how RT looked at times in this game....In his fifth year.
FIFTH. YEAR.
I get that he is going to have a hard time learning ANOTHER new offense. I get the other "reasons" for his issues, but standing there like a scared baby deer in your own redzone is unacceptable for a 5th year QB. Now, a lot of you on here know that I have had as much hope and faith in RT as anyone, and I still say let's give Gase the year with him and see what happens. But you're delusional if you think RT is the answer if he continues making bone-headed mistakes like this. However, you're equally delusional if you think ANY QB CHANGE IN THE UNIVERSE is going to even so much as get us in the playoffs the way this team is playing.
Gase says pocket presence is coachable. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt on this. We'll see. I know some of you jaded fans are going to tell me he's full of it. I'll nip that in the bud now by saying this: He knows more than you do and that's why he's the HC and you're sitting here typing on a blog...just like me. So save it.
You could take the DNA of Marino, Unitas, Montana, Brees, Rodgers, the whole Manning family, and Brady, genetically engineer the GOD of all QBs in a test tube, and that super-human QB would take this train-wreck of a team to an 8-8 record. If you believe other-wise, sorry to say, your public school system failed you miserably. Sorry not sorry.
Now.....who's NOT to blame.
Well, contrary to popular belief, it is NOT the overall defense. The defensive issues stem from the fact that they are on the field ALL. GAME. LONG because the offense can't stay on the field and all they do is go 3 and out. The time of possession is astoundingly lopsided. So it aint the defense.
It's not the coaching either. If there is any member of this organization that I am solidly behind right now, it's not RT, it's not Wake, not Suh, not Landry, not Ross, and DAMN SURE not Mike Tannenbaum. It's Adam Gase. I like his attitude. "We're beyond the point of discussion. Do you job or we will make changes. Talent is irrelavent." I LOVE that. And I love the fact that he was true to his word and benched Maxwell, who, so far has been a waste of salary cap. He doesn't manage "personalities" like Philbin did. He manages TALENT, and that's what we need.
I'm telling you, give Gase time to rebuild this team that he inherited from Philbin. Give him time to figure out what he has and doesn't have on this team. Don't build the team around Tannehill or Suh. Build it around the COACH. If Ross will do that, things will change. Let Gase decide this offseason who the QB will be next year. If it's RT, it'll be because Gase fixed him. If not, so be it, but I believe Gase will know and he will make a winning decision as far as who stays and who goes.
I know we're all sick of being patient, but get over it, crybabies. Some of the "fans" are more annoying than the team itself and that is staying A LOT. If you expected playoffs this year, you were out of your mind to begin with and there is no psychiatrist or drug on the planet that can help you. I came into this year saying that 8-8 would be a thrilling improvement over last season. Now I'm saying I will literally sh*t a chicken if we can go 8-8. It'll be a miracle if we don't actually do WORSE than last season.
Buckle up. It's going to be a long season, so just accept it. Expect the worst and hope for....better.