15 thoughts - Dolphins game

[Bkbobo]

Another thing that frustrated me about this game, the Fins had 5 assist coaches out because of covid. We should have been able to expose them, but hats off to the Miami staff.

 

[Harry]

Harry, don't understand. Is the Athletic saying that we should not have signed Fits?

Keyboard stutter. This was supposed to be point 1, the FG decision.

 

[Gandhi]

All sports are littered with one season wonders. NFL more than most.

Can you prove that, BritCard? It is an honest question, because I simply do not know. But just on the top of my head I can remember Za’Darius Smith from the Packers, Trent Brown from the Raiders, A.J. Bouye with the Jaguars (now Broncos) as players, that are now active, who turned their one breakout season into a massive deal with a new team, and are playing well now.

 

[BritCard]

Can you prove that, BritCard? It is an honest question, because I simply do not know. But just on the top of my head I can remember Za’Darius Smith from the Packers, Trent Brown from the Raiders, A.J. Bouye with the Jaguars (now Broncos) as players, that are now active, who turned their one breakout season into a massive deal with a new team, and are playing well now.

Google "NFL one season wonders" and you will find articles with loads, and these are just the tip of the iceberg as they often focus on the skill players like RB's, WR's and QB's who had one big statistical year and nothing similar their whole career.

I'm sure if we put our minds to it we could name several one season wonders just from the Cardinals in the past 20 years.

 

[Gandhi]

Google "NFL one season wonders" and you will find articles with loads, and these are just the tip of the iceberg as they often focus on the skill players like RB's, WR's and QB's who had one big statistical year and nothing similar their whole career.

I'm sure if we put our minds to it we could name several one season wonders just from the Cardinals in the past 20 years.

Well, BritCard, now I have look at many lists, and I still cannot find any evidence that your claim is correct. Of course, you have to factor in several dynamics and variables, and thus you can only go by the last three or five years at the most. And other than a few quarterbacks, I just don’t see many players that have turned their one year of production into a massively overpaid free agency contract. But again, I could easily be wrong. I don’t know a lot about this.

Honestly, I tend to think it is one of those claims that are repeated so often, for so many years, that it ends up being a truth, though no one ever truly wonders about it.

 

[JeffGollin]

I'm a Zane Gonzalez skeptic. Even when he makes a kick I cringe. I think I'd look for his replacement this offseason.

The problem with comparing teams early in the year based on statistics is that sample size and quality of opponent skews averages. Early in the year the Cardinals didn't play any good offenses. Now that they have faced better offenses, their defensive averages are declining. I would caveat that any time Kevin Peterson is seeing meaningful snaps, you know you're going to have one coverage player that teams can REALLY pick on. He's awful.

He is what he is - fairly consistent from kick to kick; but just when you begin to trust him, he kills you at crunch-time.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Honestly, I think they came out of the bye sloppy and under estimating the Dolphins defense and the defense got bun rushed.

They looked lost from snap 1, like they weren’t expecting that version of Tua to show up.

They tend to come out slow in every game. That’s coaching.

 

[BritCard]

He is what he is - fairly consistent from kick to kick; but just when you begin to trust him, he kills you at crunch-time.

This just isn't true. His only crucial clutch kicks have been vs Bengals, Seahawks and Miami.

He won the Bengals game. He both extended and won the Seahawks game and missed vs Miami.

 

[GimmedaBall]

Google "NFL one season wonders" and you will find articles with loads, and these are just the tip of the iceberg as they often focus on the skill players like RB's, WR's and QB's who had one big statistical year and nothing similar their whole career.

I'm sure if we put our minds to it we could name several one season wonders just from the Cardinals in the past 20 years.

That's a statement worth chewing over. As Ghandi points out, it may just be a 'conventional wisdom' statement with little support. My first reaction was, "yeah, there are plenty of one-season wonders." A lot of players come out gangbusters in their first year, get injured, and then limp through a few more teams before retirement.

We need a definition of ''one-season wonder." Is it a percentage drop-off from their career year? Do you count players who were injured and then never really recovered their old form? Are they the players who maximize that one year and then never live up to the contract (A QB who signs the highest contract in history---then plays at the bottom half of the league for the life of the big contract.)

Would Joe Flaco be a one-season wonder? I think a lot of fans would give him this label but then when you look at his career stats, maybe not? He's got a 98-76 career record and just passed Joe Montana career passing yards.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FlacJo00.htm

https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/11/10/joe-flacco-joe-montana-all-time-passing-yards/

Would Robert Griffin III (RG III) fit the definition? Career siderailed by devasting injury but his first season was fantastic. Career record of 16-25

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrifRo01.htm

You could stretch things and say that any player who makes a roster one season and is then cut the next is a 'one-season' wonder.

 

[BritCard]

That's a statement worth chewing over. As Ghandi points out, it may just be a 'conventional wisdom' statement with little support. My first reaction was, "yeah, there are plenty of one-season wonders." A lot of players come out gangbusters in their first year, get injured, and then limp through a few more teams before retirement.

We need a definition of ''one-season wonder." Is it a percentage drop-off from their career year? Do you count players who were injured and then never really recovered their old form? Are they the players who maximize that one year and then never live up to the contract (A QB who signs the highest contract in history---then plays at the bottom half of the league for the life of the big contract.)

Would Joe Flaco be a one-season wonder? I think a lot of fans would give him this label but then when you look at his career stats, maybe not? He's got a 98-76 career record and just passed Joe Montana career passing yards.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/F/FlacJo00.htm

Would Robert Griffin III (RG III) fit the definition? Career siderailed by devasting injury but his first season was fantastic. Career record of 16-25

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GrifRo01.htm

You could stretch things and say that any player who makes a roster one season and is then cut the next is a 'one-season' wonder.

RG3 for sure.

One season wonder I would say is anyone with a great statistical year thats way above their norm. Guys like Gary Barnidge in 2015.

And guys like Philips with nearly twice as many sacks in 1 year as the previous 4 combined.

 

[GimmedaBall]

RG3 for sure.

One season wonder I would say is anyone with a great statistical year thats way above their norm. Guys like Gary Barnidge in 2015.

And guys like Philips with nearly twice as many sacks in 1 year as the previous 4 combined.

Maybe need a distinction between 'one-season wonder' and 'career year?' A guy can have a decent career, go bananas for one year, back down to his average stats. That guy would not necessarily be a one-season wonder since he had a good career with that one exceptional season thrown in.

I'm thinking maybe 'one-season wonder' should apply to a guy who is also one-and-done or someone who hangs around at the bottom of the roster for one or more teams before getting a job selling Chevrolets back in his home town (and making sales because he played pro ball).

Where would you put David Johnson on this rating scale? Was his 2016 stats with 2118 total yeards a 'career year' or a 'one-and-done' year?? (I'd go with career year---he's on pace this year for 800 rushing yards, 6 TDS, 320 yards receiving--about half the yards from 2016 but still a decent showing.