Live Blog Q&A No. 3 / Next one Oct. 8

[1) It is MONDAY, OCTOBER 1. Voting continues in latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter poll in blogpost directly below this]

LIVE BLOG Q&A IN COMMENTS SECTION: How on Earth did we cram more than 80 Q's and A's into one hour? Thanks for the great response. Gotten better and better each week. See you again next Monday 1 p.m. See a transcript of the latest chat in Comments below.

Comments

[Jimbo]

who's here?

[Big Baby]

Greg we might have a Triple Crown winner this year.

Yaz has held it long enough maybe it's time right?

[Manny Tacos]

I just can't enough Dolphins news.
Lay it on me Greg, what's the latest?

[Manny Tacos]

What has Yaz held other then his wee wee?

[FZB]

Cote,..Let's talk Dolphins.

I'm a glass half full kind of guy and I really don't think that we are that far away from competing for the division, I think Tannehill IS the "franchise" QB we've been looking since 13 retired and we are only a stud WR and TE from being a very good offense.

is the kid the real deal??? what say you???

[George Harrison]

I thought this was live

[Joe Paluka]

Tannehill is the real deal. Just ask Jeff Ireland & Steven Ross.

[Tim]

Weekly Dan Crapenter update.

Crapenter's field goal conversion percentage, since Week 12 in 2010, is now down to 72.4%. In that time, a stretch of 26 games, he has missed at least one field goal in 5 games which the Dolphins lost by 3 points or less. Enough. He needs to be released already. Guaranteed contract or not. (And why would you EVER give a kicker a guaranteed contract?) It's time for this Parcells/Ireland remnant to get the hell out of here already. The Mustachioed Mullet must go. There is no excuse for him to remain employed by the Dolphins for one more minute.

[Greg Cote]

Sorry for the late start, all. Computer issues. Let's get at it!

[FZB]

maybe Cote is on his coffe break...

Hey George Harrison, are you jamming with Lennon??? please tell us about it.

[Greg Cote]

I'm here, Jimbo. Finally. We'll go bit long today to make up for it if warranted.

[George H]

Were LIVE today FZB

[Greg Cote]

Big Baby, I have mixed feelings on the Triple Crown. Yaz was my first boyhood idol and I never liked Miguel Cabrera much personally when he played here. Good for baseball, though, and Cabrera the right candidate.

[Jimbo]

Greg: What is your take on the Dolphins so far this year? Give us a general assessment & maybe more in detail on coaches & players.

[Greg Cote]

Manny Tacos, the latest is that the Dolphins are the first team in history to have a 400-yard passer, a 250-yard receiver, a 4-plus sacks guy and still find a way to lose. OY!

[Greg Cote]

Manny Tacos, Yaz has held a Hall of Fame plaque. Good enough for ya?

[Jimbo]

I gotta come clean,,, Manny, George, Joe is... all me.

Besides the humor, I'm looking for insight on the Fins 2day.

[Greg Cote]

FZB, I absolutely think Tannehill is the real deal; that's why I was first in media to advocate he start right away. Dolphin still need an elite WR (despite yesterday, pass rush help (despite yesterday) and a great cover-corner (as we saw yesterday).

[Jimbo]

I think Tannehill has come a long way since drafted in April. The youngster needs to cut out the turnovers.

[Greg Cote]

George Harrison, started a bit late but we live now. Wish you were as live. While my guitar gently weeps.

[Greg Cote]

Joe Paluka, don't need Jeffy and Steve to tell us Tannehill is the future.

[Tim]

This is why statistics mean nothing. 400-yard passer? Great. What did Hennehill do with a 21-14 lead? Fumble. What did he do tied at 21 in overtime? Throw an interception. Bad blocking? Yeah. Guess what? If he knows this offense and this blocking scheme as well as he is purported to know it, then there's no excuse to not see what's coming. 250-yard receiver? What did he do at the end? Fall down. 8 sacks, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed? What did the defense do in the fourth quarter and overtime? The same thing they've done for 15 years -- bend over and break. Whether it's Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison, or Cameron Wake and Karlos Dansby, whether it's Mike Nolan or whoever this new clown is, it's always the same Olphin Efense. There are NO positives from any loss, and there are NO positives from yesterday. Sorry. After 15 years of unmitigated garbage, there are no excuses that I want to hear and no bright sides that I want to look at. Win, or get the hell out. I am not sold on Tannehill and I am REALLY not sold on Regis Coker as head coach.

[Greg Cote]

Tim, the Carpenter-knocking isn't flying as high this week. Still love the "Crapenter" nickname, though!

[Greg Cote]

Jimbo, Dolphins doing a lot right. Could easily be 3-1. Ground game solid, O-line solid, Tannehill looks good and geting better, run-D stout. Need another receiver, another pass rusher and especially a cornerback. Thought WR should be the draft target, now thinking maybe corner. Like Sherman's offense so farm, putting receivers in position for yards after catch.

[I am Kazaam]

Cote - how different would this 2012 season be if Ireland wasn't forced to reach for a QB in the first round and the coaches weren't forced to play Tannehill by David Garrard's pool party?

I'm in the camp that says 'nothing matters' in the NFL until your franchise finds a quarterback, you think that the incompetence of this franchise from the top to the bottom even matters if Tannehill is the real deal?

[Jimbo]

Greg... I agree with what your saying about Dolphins needs.
Q: Are any of the Dolphins young DE-OLB's look promising? I have heard great things about DE Derrick Shelby, good things about Vernon.

In your opinion, how close are those 2 rushing the QB?

[FZB]

Tim,

You need a hug buddy ?..your a little agitated.

Cote, Let's talk Canes, while I really don't give the young Canes much of a chance against ND I DO THINK THEY MATCH UP nicely in a couple of areas, our offense versus their defense in particular, How do you see that game.

[Tim]

If Stephen Morris throws for almost 600 yards and there's nobody at Sun Life (Sun Death?) Stadium to see it, did it really happen? Also, who made the bigger mistake in bypassing this year's NFL draft to come back for one more season -- Tyler Wilson at Arkansas or David Amerson at N.C. State? Wilson would've been a first-round pick. He won't be one now. Amerson was an All-American with a sky-high profile. Tennessee made him look bad a few weeks ago, and, wow, was he awful on Saturday. Between his play, or lack thereof, on three offsides calls that turned into touchdowns, the ridiculous penalty on the field goal block (why even rush Wieclaw at that point, when Wieclaw was making Crapenter look like the second coming of Jan Stenerud?), and how he just absolutely gave up on the bomb to Dorsett at the end. N.C. State fans are accusing him of point shaving. I disagree. If you're shaving points, you have to make it look good. This guy probably would've conned Jeff Ireland into spending a high draft pick on him last year. That won't happen this year. Or... will it? This is Jeff Ireland we're talking about, after all.

[Greg Cote]

Jimbo, agreed on the turnovers but for most part I think his decision-making has been good. Also need to take fewer sacks. He'll learn. It's the arm and poise that jump out. That boy can threat a needle.

[Tim]

FZB -- I'm just a masochist when it comes to the Dolphins. I refuse to look for bright sides in losses anymore. I just can't do it. And if I admit that Tannehill is the future, then I have to admit that Ireland (whether prodded by Ross or not) made a good decision. And if he was prodded by Ross, then I would have to admit that BOTH of them made a good decision. And I can't, in good conscience, accept that such a scenario is possible. I could use a hug, though, since I'm just waiting to hear the word that I will be attending a funeral this week. But that's neither here nor there.

[I am Kazaam]

Jimbo - don't forget Randy Starks, he's a completely different animal when he's rushing from the DT position as opposed to the end. Hugely underrated.

[Greg Cote]

Tim, you must be running for prez of the Pessimist Party. I feel like looking for the nearest ledge when reading your diatribe. Fair opinion, just way negative for reality IMHO.

[uglyaqua]

Cote, Is it possible that the Cardinals took the Dolphins to lightly?

[Greg Cote]

I Am..., yes I think Tannehill being great (or close to it) will lift everything. Miami is a piece or two in the secodnary and a WR from being very good right now (considering the QB is a rookie and still learning...)

[FZB]

Cote,

Don't pay attention to Kazaam, he is the president of the "negativo" movement on this blog plus he's a closet Jets and Ravens fan, he won't give my son Ireland any credit for the good moves he makes and NO Kaz, Tannehill was not a reach at 8..

there I answer the question for Cote...

[AKGUY]

I think that last fumble by Tannehill was a fault of coaching. How in the world can the Defense break through that quickly. RT barely had time to even look up. I don't put that on him. Also, that fumble by the receiver was crazy. No one touched him.

[I am Kazaam]

Cote - you think that the Heat would be this comfortable with 'position-less basketball' if they had faced the Lakers in the Finals? Seems to me that just because you can't afford one of the true centers to dump it down to doesn't mean you shouldn't worry about defending them.

[Jimbo]

Good point Kazaam, throw in Odrick, McDaniel (still hurt?), Starks & Soliai in the middle.
The pass rush is paramont to winning championships.
This D is close
IMO we need to draft,, CB, coverage Safety, pass rushing DE-OLB

[OC Dolphin]

Greg, What if anything can a U.S. Ryder's Cup captain do to defeat those obnoxious European squads and their nauseating "ole, ole, ole, ole" chants? In your opinion, did Davis Love III select the correct captain's picks? Frankly, Thurston Howell III would have done better.

[AKGUY]

Of course, I have to say, the best thing about Sunday was the Jets showing their true colors and their idiot coach blowing up.

[Greg Cote]

Jimbo, Olivier closer than undrafted Shelby but neither ready for main rotation yet.

[Jimbo]

uglymomma,
Cardinals aren't in a position to take anyone lightly
They ain't exactly world class

[Tim]

AKGUY -- Nanee was rated as the worst receiver in the NFL last year by the NFL version of the SABRmetrics statheads. And when you have a chance to sign the worst receiver in the NFL, well, you just have to do it, don't you?

Greg, you want me to be positive? OK. Cardinals have a really good defense. And maybe Adrian Wilson was rusty, and maybe his coming back threw everything off a bit for their secondary, but if Hartline (who isn't a #1 or a #2) can do something that Mark Clayton and Mark Duper never did, and if Davone Bess (who isn't a #1 or a #2) can go over 100 yards at the same time, well, what happens if they can actually add a real #1 and/or a #2? Draft will be loaded with them. Robert Woods from USC, particularly.

[Greg Cote]

FZB, I'll be at Soldier Field for that game and looking forward to it. The only thing that worries me about Canes right now is that pass defense. I give UM a shot. Irish due a classic Irish flop.

[Jimbo]

Greg,, I like to watch the younger Fins players grow & develop. Which player drafted in 2011 or 12 is your favorite?

[uglyaqua]

Cote, I will disagree with you on that. They are a playoff team who has a much brighter future then The Dolphins. Just my 2 cents

[Greg Cote]

Tim, you werify your curmudgeon status by finding a negative in Morris' 566-yard record-break performance. Although I must admit the crowd did suck. C'mon Canes fans, you gotta turn out for more than just FSU. Geez.

[8thstreetlatina]

Greg,

Another disappointing FIU weekend in what has been a terrible season initially full of promise. What is going on over at 8th street?! Also, any truth to the Mario firing and Butch Davis hiring rumors?

[Jimbo]

Greg,,
Canes may upset ND but the Irish are the better team

[uglyaqua]

Jimbo, the question was for Cote, not you. But I am not surprised........

[Greg Cote]

Uglyaqua, yeah I think that's possible. Human nature. You win at New England and then rout Philly, you are bound to take the Dolphins lightly. But that doesn't discount Miami's great effort (except on pass defense very late...).

[Jimbo]

uglyaqua
bet you 100 pushups Cardinals don't win their division.

[I am Kazaam]

Cote - just FYI, the Canes got more fans to see Bethune-Cookman at Joe Robbie than they got for three bad home matchups in the OB during the 2001 championship season.

Miami fans are the worst in the country, what can you do?

[joe c.]

Greg, if I am correct, isn't Sean Smith a FA at the end of the season? If he is, will they show him the money?
He has stepped up since Vontae left.

[Greg Cote]

FZB, Tannehill was closer to a steal at 8 if early indications pan out.

[uglyaqua]

Jimbo, keep your post to yourself until after Cote's blog ends....geeeeeez

[Greg Cote]

AKGUY, not sure I can agree that a fumble is ever the fault of coaching. Unless the coaches stress not taking care of the ball in practice.

[Tim]

The problem with UM's pass defense isn't the secondary as much as it is the complete and total lack of pass rush. Chickillo is the only defensive lineman of true quality on the line. McCord's got a lot of potential, but he's still young and thin. When (not if) Golden can recruit some real defensive tackles, you'll see this defense improve. I see what D'Onofrio is trying to do, and, unfortunately, the mess on the line is just making it impossible thus far. The big thing is, get to 6 wins, self-impose another bowl ban, and move forward.

[OC Dolphin]

I picture Greg Cote frantically typing away like some chessmaster engaged against some 20 sports geeks.

[Jimbo]

Multi task

[Greg Cote]

I Am..., good point about the "position-less" Heat. They can do that most nights against most opponents, freelancing and winning on talent. But some opponents will require more structure, more of a traditional lineup or an emphasis on size. Spoelstra knows that.

[Jimbo]

Greg,,

What Fins contracts are up after this season? Who's worth retaining & who's worth letting go?

[Big Baby]

OC that European squad is way more likable than our American robots (same swings, same personalities).

They deserved to win.

[Tim]

Joe C. - Smith stepped up, alright, until 4th down with 29 seconds left yesterday. Then, he pulled a Hanloaf, er, Hanley Ramirez, and disappeared.

Greg -- bigger chokes in sports history than what the U.S. Ryder Cup team pulled off? It wasn't just losing a four-point lead at home. Remember how the last two matches on Saturday ended, with Europe pulling those two matches out in miraculous (or U.S.-gagging) fashion. Never seen anything like that. That was worse than blowing a 3-0 series lead. There are no words. Nice to see Phil Mickelson laughing everything off, though.

[uglyaqua]

Cote, in your opinion, is OZZIE G.shown the door?

[Greg Cote]

OC Dolphin, I won't blame Love III for that collapse any more than I'd have credited him for a win. Players blew it. Furyk comes to mind. As for that "ole ole" chant, we could have drowned it out with "U-S-A!" But didn't.

[Greg Cote]

im, agree on your take on the WR upside. If Hartline/Bess are your 2-3 guys, you're pretty damned good.

[FZB]

Greg,

I told this guys three months before the NFL draft that Tannehill would be drafted in the top ten and so far he looks like the real deal to me..

Now, Please tell OC that the Laker's won't get pass the Thunder in the west, he needs a reality check.

[Jimbo]

OC
Had the opportunity of turning up the fun last Thursday on Austins 6th st.

[Greg Cote]

Jimbo, in terms of longterm upside I'll take Mike Pouncey from '11 draft and Tannehill from '12. No surprise there. But both are panning out big time.

[Jimbo]

signing off,, Thanks for blog Greg,, as always, it's a blast.

[Big Baby]

Greg thanks for making my day with Tannehill optimism because I could use some right now.

I think that we are the second best team in the division despite our resord right now and will be in the future do you share that opinion?

[Tim]

Considering that the Tigers are going to make the playoffs (huge collapse by the Chisox), that pretty much makes Cabrera winning the MVP award a certainty. Where are Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller and Burke Badenhop now? Just wondering.

Also, how in the world did Pittsburgh find a way to finish under .500 again? Weren't they in first place two months ago? Pirates going to Pirate, I guess. That's the one franchise in sports that may rival the Dolphins for incompetence.

[Greg Cote]

8thstreetlatina, you mean the rumor you just started> :) But we agree FIU is having a rotten season so far.

[Greg Cote]

Jimbo, agreed Irish better. But ND for years now always find an upset loss or two on its schedule.

[OC Dolphin]

Greg, perhaps so (players blowing it vs Love). However, D-Love could have selected the two of us as his captain's picks and I doubt anyone would be blaming our assured 0-8-0 performance on us.

[Big Baby]

FZB you give me hope on Tanny too : )

[Greg Cote]

I Am..., I try to defend Miami fans and us as a sports town, but it ain't always easy!

[Greg Cote]

Joe C, yeah I think Smith's deal is up though not 100%. Vontae trade definitely makes him more valuable. And cornerbacks tend to be overpaid. Smith not elite but yesterday suggests he could still get there.

[8thstreetlatina]

I didn't start it Greg... its going around the FIU fan base.

[Greg Cote]

OC, that's the first time I've ever been likened to a chessmaster. Will admit trying to cram as many questions/answers into one hour is tough. My fingers are flying!

[Laces out Dan]

WOW! Disappointing loss again, but we have a franchise quarterback for the future guys! That play fake and throw on a rope to Hartline for 80 yards was a thing of beauty. Tannehill went into their house against that tough D and put up 431 yards with those receivers!! If he's doing that with Naanee, Bess, and Hartline (although Hartline and Bess looked good)...just IMAGINE what he will do down the road with more EXPERIENCE and better PLAYMAKERS. Lot of good came from it..though it was a sour loss. Big picture. Miami will have the last laugh in years to come.

[Greg Cote]

To all, agreed on Ryder Cup as a massive choke. Doubt Ozzie Guillen gets fired; it's a money thing. And yeah I'd take OKC over Lakers in West this year. The Q&A ends here. Thanks to all. See you again next Monday! But visit the blog daily in the meantime...

[OC Dolphin]

memo to self: note date to cut and paste OKC over Lakers come June 6, and "eat crow" day.

[Flipper Phil]

unless your uglyaqua and like to choke on something else.