Gameday: Five Keys to a Dolphins Win PLUS Prediction

Welcome to the final game day of 2014. Hard to believe, isn't it? 17 weeks, 156 days, and in roughly eight hours it's all over. Just like that.

Today is a big day for the Miami Dolphins. No, they aren't in the playoff race. But a win against the Jets would give them their first winning season since 2008, and for a team dying for some progress that would at least give them some.

But it won't be easy. No, not by a long shot. Remember earlier this month? Remember that nail biting last second win on Monday night in which the defense gave up nearly 300 rushing yards? This won't be a cake walk today, but, as I mentioned yesterday, it should be a victory. Miami is the better team all around, and they should simply overpower the New York Jets.

How do they accomplish that feat though? Well, for one final time, I'm so glad you asked!


1. Set, contain, and tackle: This is, without a doubt, the most important key for the Dolphins today. Set the edge, don't let those quick backs get around you, and when you get them, TACKLE! Wrapping up on the defensive side of the ball will be huge today.

2. Keep feeding him: Him being Lamar Miller, and said feeding being the ball. Lamar needs only a little over 70 yards to reach 1,000 for the season, and, despite a good Jets run defense, I don't see why he can't get that today. In fact, the only person I can see getting in his way is OC Bill Lazor, who has a tendency to go away from the run game in the second half. Keep feeding him today.

3. Stay on, get off the field: Third down's will be huge today, and I'm not sure which Dolphins team we're going to get. Last week the offense had one of their better performances of the season, as they converted 9/13 third downs. However, the defense, as they have for most of the season, struggled getting off the field once again. Rex Ryan loves a good ol' TOP battle, and it's one of the few ways he can beat you today. Don't let it happen, on either side of the ball.

4. Red zone success: The offense did an excellent job of turning red zone trips into touchdown's a week ago, and they'll have to continue this today. Defensively, don't let Geno Smith beat you inside the twenties, that's just not good for anybody.

5. Don't get caught napping: This is Rex Ryan's final game (most likely) as head coach for the New York Jets. You don't think he's going to throw everything at this Dolphins team? Keep your guard up on special teams, watch for the wild cat plays, be prepared for reverses, and trick plays, and, well, everything in the book. Rex may be going down, but I can assure you he' not going down without a loud, obnoxious BANG.


PREDICTION

I told you back in August that this team would finish 9-7 this season, and I'm a man of my word. There's no reason they shouldn't win today, and I expect nothing less than one. But proceed with caution, Dolfans, we all remember what happened not one year ago today...

Final: Dolphins 27 Jets 16


Final inactives list of the year coming up later. That will be followed by the live blog throughout the game.

See you there.

Four hours.

Week 17 in the NFL: Picks and predictions

This is it. The grand finale. Time to put up, or shut up. Time to separate the men from the boys, the contenders from the pretenders. All or nothing. The final countdown.

Alright, you get the picture. To the picks!



Last week's record: 9-5

Overall record: 153-72


Browns @ Ravens: Connor Shaw is a starting QB in this game.

Pick: Ravens 24 Browns 7

Cowboys @ Redskins: Dallas’ entire second team is better than Washington’s first. That’s not opinion, that’s fact.

Pick: Cowboys 30 Redskins 16

Colts @ Titans: “Back to the good ol’ AFC South. Thank goodness. They were starting to figure out how bad we are.” - Andrew Luck.

Pick: Colts 27 Titans 14

Jaguars @ Texans: Gun to my head I couldn’t tell you the Texans starting QB this week. But with that defense I don’t think it matters.

Pick: Texans 17 Jaguars 10

Chargers @ Chiefs: Chase Daniel. How’s that for a throwback? Yikes.

Pick: Chargers 24 Chiefs 13

Bears @ Vikings: Nobody put’s Jay in the corner. Nobody.

Pick: Vikings 24 Bears 20

Bills @ Patriots: We’re so close to another devastating January loss for Tom and the Patriots I can practically taste it. I just get so warm and fuzzy inside when thinking about it!

Pick: Patriots 27 Bills 17

Eagles @ Giants: What an epic collapse by the Eagles. Quick, which would you rather: being a Philadelphia sports fan, or getting a root canal?

The latter? Me too.

Pick: Eagles 27 Giants 24

Saints @ Buccaneers: The decline of Drew Brees hasn’t gotten enough publicity this year. Seriously, what’s going on there?

Pick: Saints 23 Buccaneers 16

Panthers @ Falcons: This is it! This is for all the marbles baby! Bring it home, Cam. Bring that historically bad division title home! I love it.

Pick: Panthers 26 Falcons 20

Lions @ Packers: Just a nice little tune up for Aaron here before him and Olivia head off for their two week vacation. What a life.

Pick: Packers 24 Lions 17

Raiders @ Broncos: #PrayForTonyAndDerrick

Pick: Broncos 35 Raiders 13

Cardinals @ 49ers: If Jim Harbaugh’s going down (and he is), there’s no way he’s going down without a fight. Go get em’, Jimmy!

Pick: 49ers 20 Cardinals 16

Rams @ Seahawks: Oh look, the Seahawks are an elite powerhouse again… Who woulda thunk it?? Oh yeah, um, I did. Come on, world, don’t back a dog into an unnecessary corner. When will we learn?

Pick: Seahawks 23 Rams 13

Bengals @ Steelers: If Andy Dalton wins two primetime games in a row the world will undoubtedly explode.

I’m pretty confident we’ll still be spinning come Monday morning.

Pick: Steelers 23 Bengals 20


I'll have all your game day coverage tomorrow morning, followed by any last minute news and the inactives right before kickoff.

Then, I'll have your final live blog of the year beginning after the first quarter.

See you then.

Inside Look at Dolphins, Jets Finale; other notes

Well, the end is upon us, folks.

Today is the final inside look at a Dolphins matchup until September 2015. Enjoy it. Cherish it. Remember it. Because this is it. This is the big one. The real one. The last one. 

To the final matchup of 2014:

Look, the Dolphins should dominate tomorrow. I said it last month, and I'll say it again now— offensively, and defensively, Miami has the upper hand in this matchup.

Offensively, the matchup to watch tomorrow is Ryan Tannehill vs. the New York secondary. Tannehill is in a groove right now, and has the Miami passing offense up to 15th in the league, averaging nearly 235 yards per game. The Jets secondary is the weakness of their sixth ranked defense, as they rank 15th against the pass, while ranking fifth against the run.

What does this tell me? Expect Miami to attack this unit early and often tomorrow, especially with the way Ryan Tannehill is playing. He needs only four touchdowns, and only 213 yards, to surpass 30 TD's and 4,000 yards on the season, and with that depleted secondary I don't think either are out of the realm of possibility. 

Defensively, the obvious problem Miami will face is against that New York rushing attack, which ranks third in the league with 145 yard per game. If you remember ( and how could you not?), Miami's feeble run defense (24th in the NFL, 124 yards per game) was torched earlier this month by this unit.. Torched so bad that the Jets had over 200 yards on the ground after the first half! 

I expect more of the same tomorrow, as nothing has really changed since the last meeting— Miami's secondary is still really good (4th), Geno Smith is still really bad (31st), the Jets can still run, and Miami still struggles to stop it. 

This will be the game changing matchup tomorrow, folks. If Miami can stop the run, and force Geno Smith to throw, then look for a route. If not, expect another tight one heading into the final quarter. 

INJURY REPORT

The Dolphins released the final injury report of the 2014 season yesterday, and, for the most part, the team is healthy heading into tomorrow's finale.

LB Jelani Jenkins (foot), RT Dallas Thomas (foot), and DE Derrick Shelby (ankle) are all listed as questionable.

TE Charles Clay (hamstring, knee), CB Cortland Finnegan (ankle, knee), LB Jonathan Freeny (hamstring), S Don Jones (shoulder), LB Koa Misi (hamstring, knee), DT Earl Mitchell (back), DT Jared Odrick (ankle), RB Daniel Thomas (knee) and WR Mike Wallace (back) are all listed as probable.

Picks and predictions coming up later.

Ryan Tannehill Awarded 2014 Dan Marino MVP Award; Wake, Fox Recognized as Well

First off, a very Merry Christmas to all of our readers.. 2014 has been another record breaking year for page views, and, of course, it's all because of you guys— the readers. So thank you for all the views, comments, likes, and shares. It's very much appreciated!

Now, to some news out of Miami..

QB Ryan Tannehill has been awarded the 2014 Dan Marino Most Valuable Player award, which is voted on by the South Florida media and the organization, for the first time.

Tannehill has shown major improvement this season, his third in the NFL, and seems to have clearly cemented his place under center in Miami for the foreseeable future. As of today, his numbers look like this:

He's started all 15 games, going 369-of-55 for 3,786 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He's also completing 67.0% of his passes, and is on pace to be the second-highest in a season in franchise history.

His 311 rushing yards are also a career high, and second most for a quarterback in a season in franchise history.

He's also in sixth place all-time when it comes to how many passing yards a quarterback has produced in their first three seasons (10,993). If he throws for 307 passing yards on Sunday he'll pass Carolina's Cam Newton for fifth place, which would put him behind Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Dan Marino and Andy Dalton.

I don't have a vote, but if I did, the obvious choice for team MVP was Tannehill. Had LT Branden Albert remained healthy all year he may have won, however, Albert's been out since early November while Tannehill has started every single game for three straight season's now.

Is Tannehill there yet? No. He still needs to clean up certain areas– deeper passes and pocket presence come to mind— and he still needs to lead this team to the postseason. However, the strides he's made this season cannot be overlooked, and one has to believe another year in this offense could put him in the top 10 tier of starting QB's in the NFL.

Not too shabby for someone who was almost benched in September, huh?

Cameron Wake won the Don Shula Leadership Award for the second year in a row, which is voted on by Dolphins players, and Jason Fox is your Nat Moore Community Service Award winner, which is given to the Dolphins player recognized for his involvement in the South Florida community.

The final Dolphins practice of the year is under way right now.. a full injury report will follow later.

See you there.

Grimes, Wake Make Pro Bowl; other notes

We're back...

Yes, it's been another long layoff between posts. What can I say, when you have no service in the stadium after the third quarter ends, then you have to drive home in Miami traffic, then you have to finish up last minute Christmas shopping two days before the clock strikes midnight, you're going to have to make sacrifices..

Anyways..

The official Pro Bowl rosters were announced earlier tonight, and the Dolphins have two familiar representatives in the dance: CB Brent Grimes and DE Cameron Wake.

This is Grimes' third pro bowl, and second in a row with Miami. For Wake, this is his fourth pro bowl, all with Miami.

Grimes is second in the league with five interceptions, while Wake has recorded 11.5 sacks this season.

Two other Dolphins who could have made it were LT Branden Albert, and SS Reshad Jones. Why didn't they?

Well, methinks that Albert's injury had an awful lot to do with it (obviously), while Jones probably would have made it (or come pretty darn close) had he not missed the first five weeks because of his suspension.


PHILBIN STAYS, BUT DO COORDINATORS?

First, my thoughts on Joe Philbin returning next season..

I think it's the right move for owner Stephen Ross. Why? Well, I'll answer that question with another question: If not Philbin, then who else?

The only reason I would have fired Philbin would be if you were 100% certain you could have signed Jim Harbaugh. Obviously, Stephen Ross, like the rest of us, knows this was never going to be the case. In fact, I doubt Harbaugh would have ever really considered Miami with Michigan and Oakland also on his radar.

Knowing this, who else would you have signed?

Seattle DC Dan Quinn?

Auburn HC Gus Malzan?

Rex Ryan?

No, no, and no. Stephen Ross is a loyal man, and he's a man who really, really likes Joe Philbin. He also really, really likes continuity.

What does retaining Philbin for a fourth season bring?

Yes, continuity. Continuity for the organization, and, most importantly, continuity for Ryan Tannehill, who's made significant strides in his third season.

So yes, I have no issue with Philbin returning. If Miami wins on Sunday they'll finish 9-7 and have a winning record for the first time since 2008. Philbin's tenure would look like this:

7-9

8-8

9-7

Is it progress? Yes. Is it small, baby step progress? Yes. But it's progress nonetheless, and I believe you give him and Ryan Tannehill one more year to see if they can really build something in Miami.

As for the coordinators, that's a different story.

I believe OC Bill Lazor will undoubtedly return next season. The offense has improved this season, folks. You cannot deny that. The numbers cannot deny that. Ryan Tanehill's play cannot deny that.

So yes, I believe Lazor returns.

As for DC Kevin Coyle, this is a bit more murky to me.

Coyle's unit has severely underperformed during the second, most critical half of the season. The run defense has been an achilles heel, and the defensive line, once a strength of this team, has regressed mightily this year.

Some even go as far to say that Coyle isn't getting the most out of the talent he has on the defensive side of the ball.

So when it comes to Coyle, I believe this could be a little more tricky come January. Joe Philbin obviously declined to answer one way or another when asked about this yesterday.

GM Dennis Hickey is also confirmed to be back in 2015. Like Philbin, I believe this to be the right move. Hickey had a solid, if not impressive, first season at the helm, bringing in the likes of Jarvis Landry, Ja'Wuan James, and Cortland Finnegan.

Hickey deserves another season, and another draft, to get this thing in the right direction.

Jets week begins tomorrow.

See you then.

Vikings leads Fins 17-14 after third

An excellent third quarter from the Miami Dolphins..

Ryan Tannehill hit Mike Wallace on the opening drive for a touchdown... Wallace juggled it, brought it in, then sprung across the goal line for the score.

The following drive ended in a tipped Derrick Shelby interception.

The Dolphind currently have the ball at the one yard line, facing a third and goal. 

Vikings lead Dolphins 17-7 at halftime

Joe Philbin is under fire right now.

If he loses one of the final two games, he's most likely out, even though Stephen Ross reportedly doesn't want to fire the embattled head coach.

If the first half, and more specifically, the end of the first half, is any indication, then Ross may have no choice.

With Miami trailing 14-7, and the ball inside the Minnesota 50, the offense faced a third and two with over a minute to play and two timeouts left...

And they passed. And they threw an incompletion.

And then, at 7-7, and at home, they punted. 

Then Minnesota took over, looking content to run the ball and drain the clock.

The only problem? Miami took their final two timeouts, only to set up a Vikings first down, followed by another, and another, and another.

The drive ended at the Miami 1 yard line, resulting in a Blair Walsh FG to put the Vikings up 17-7 at halftime.

Yes, it was an absolute debacle. A disaster. A botchery.

It was as bad as an end to a first half as I've ever seen.

Minnesota will get the ball to begin the second half. 

And Joe Philbin's seat is hotter than ever.

To the third.